Crimson Regret
by lpdrunknmunky
Summary: Kanda Yu has found his newest mate, but this Vampiric smooth-talker has finally found more than he can handle in a small town man with bright red hair and a fiery personality to match.
1. Chapter 1

This was originally inspired by a kink meme request: "I want some Lavi/Vamp!Kanda action with lots of blood play and virgin Lavi!! Lavi may be virgin but he's still VERY horny" but I went way out of control (this is NOT a drabble), so I figured it deserved to be posted elsewhere.

Title: Crimson Regret

Pairing: Kanda/Lavi, some Allen/Lenalee

Rating: M (for yaoi and shameless smut)

Warnings: Yaoi, over-descriptiveness, vampire AU, mild blood play

Summary: Kanda Yu has found his newest mate, but this Vampiric smooth-talker has finally found more than he can handle in a small town man with bright red hair and a fiery personality to match.

Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with D. Gray-Man.

He glances up towards the stars, eyes flicking to the nearly full moon, a small satisfied smirk quirking pale lips, before locking onto the figure in the distance. A speck of spiky dark red encircled by a black and green headband, the scent of old tomes and a distinct underlying hint of individuality mixed with the generic, unmistakable _male_.

The oblivious 18 year old makes his way through the thickening trees, sidestepping a fresh molehill as he crunches through the late autumn decay. He had run one last errand for the Old Panda, keeping him out until after dark. _Damn old man, making me walk home in the dark…and the cold. _He fists his hands in his pockets and huddles in his jacket just a little more, fighting the whisper of icy wind tickling his neck. He can't wait to get to his cabin and start a huge fire, have a nice hot dinner, and pass out for the next 10 hours. He makes a low impatient sound and walks a little faster.

Lavi's eye widens when he hears a soft crack behind him. He swivels around, scouring the dark trees and dying vegetation for the source of the sound. The moon shines through the stark branches, casting dark lines and needle-like shadows everywhere, but with Lavi's training and expert vision, the chaotic patterns become easily identifiable. When he sees nothing suspicious after a considerable amount of time, he continues on his way, no less paranoid but even more eager to get home.

He has heard stories about _things _in these woods. Things that looked like people but were stronger, faster, and _hungrier_. Lavi is just as courageous as the next guy, in fact it would be safe to assume he is braver than most of the people he knows, but that doesn't mean he has any less of a survival instinct. 

He always keeps his eye open and his ears attuned. It has saved him from robbers, bandits, and wild animals quite a few times in his life, so if he is paranoid, it is justifiably so.

He sighs when his small, neat cabin greets his sight as he steps out of the margin of the woods surrounding his home. He pulls out his key and goes inside. Removing his jacket, gloves, and scarf, he makes a beeline for his fireplace, and starts making dinner over the cheery fire. After he eats an incredibly satisfying meal, Lavi adds a log to the smoldering coals and plunks down on his bed. He looks at his boots for a moment, feeling far too lazy to go through the trouble of removing them. Eventually, he heaves a sigh and just kicks them off, pulling his shirt over his head and his headband along with it. It feels like he hasn't slept in days, so when he lays his head on his pillow, he becomes dead to the world in seconds.

0o0o0o0o0

Kanda Yuu has always chosen his prey in a very meticulous way. Feeding is not just taking blood from a human victim for him, it is a _seduction_. Kanda always takes the time to get to know his chosen before offering to show them a piece of his world, and depending on how much they want, he will show them the pleasure his body can give, or perhaps just his fangs. Depending on the endorphins he chooses to share, he can make his prey anywhere from happily compliant to delightfully euphoric.

The first time he saw Lavi was in the library, intently studying some large, dusty volume with a handsome, relaxed look that might have made Kanda's breath catch, if he had any to begin with. Kanda had watched Lavi for quite a while, making sure it was this individual whom he sensed a primal, implicit kinship from. The smell, the alluring beat of his pulse, the physical attractiveness, and his reading material of choice all qualified him as a perfect quarry.

And so he had decided to follow him home.

Kanda soundlessly slips through the window, dark eyes trained on the young man peacefully dreaming about foreign places he has read about. He approaches the bed and examines the features he will come to know over the next few days, or perhaps weeks. A black eye patch covers the right eye, and the left is closed, but Kanda knows they are a vibrant emerald green, outlined by long black eyelashes and sharp, slanted eyebrows. His hair, usually the color of ripe strawberries, is now closer to that of plum in the near-darkness of the room. His pale skin is complimented by the colorful wash framing his beautifully shaped face. His full lips are slightly parted, condensation making a nearly unnoticeable sheen of wetness on his lower lip. Kanda's mouth starts to water.

Lavi hums a little in appreciation of the tower of Pisa, his breath whispering across Kanda's face. Lavi's scent is rich, his skin radiates heat, and his blood is a lyrical rush to Kanda's senses. His eyes glaze over as it becomes difficult for him to hold himself back. His mouth is inches from the column of Lavi's throat. His lips part and his eyes close; he can't stop himself from wanting this so much it almost hurts. It has been far too long since he has fed.

Kanda's long, dark hair brushes Lavi's naked chest, a hand depresses the mattress on either side of him, and a strange earthy smell makes itself known, but Lavi continues to dream. Kanda's lips graze hot skin just above the pulse point and Lavi makes another quiet hum. Kanda clenches his hands in the sheets and furrows his brows, fighting for control. He's so close, but if he ruins it now, he will regret it, so he backs off. Slowly at first, and with a last longing look at his most potent desire, he trails his eyes from neck back to face.

Kanda leans in, lightly resting his forehead against Lavi's, closes his eyes and concentrates.

Lavi stands on the highest precipice of Mount Olympus, looking out over Greece as it was centuries ago. The scene is almost perfectly detailed, although there are some things missing, things only those who have actually been there, as Kanda has, would notice. Lavi's hair waves in the breeze, fiery torchlight with the setting sun. He turns to Kanda with a lazy smile and a dreamy look in his eyes and doesn't seem to mind the intrusion. Kanda steps closer, locking his eyes onto deep green, and silently wills their shared dream to turn to dusk. Lavi doesn't seem to mind its absence. Kanda never liked the sun, even in dreams.

"I've never seen you here before," Lavi's smooth tenor breaks the silence.

"I've never been here before." Dark eyes flash with something Lavi has only read about. It takes him a moment to recognize it as desire, and when he does he wants to simultaneously take a step back and one forward. His eye widens and his smile morphs into a more surprised shape, but he realizes it is not disgust or fear that makes his pulse race, but exhilaration. He has never been the object of such a gaze, and it sends a shiver down his spine.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Kanda. I am a vampire."

"A Vampire? What the hell is that, like a blood-sucking fiend?"

Kanda's melody of seduction misses a beat at that. _Fiend!? Where did that come from?_ "Make no mistake, I am no _fiend_, but yes, I do gain sustenance from human blood."

"Oh."

"…"

"So then…what are you doing here? Don't you have to go find some virgin maiden in a white gown and woo her with mysterious words and…hypnotizing…" _Eyes_. Kanda's eyes have regained their otherworldly light and he has decreased the distance between them without Lavi noticing. Kanda is an arm's length away, a tiny smirk curving one corner of his mouth. "Wait, you can't possibly…" Kanda takes one step closer, lifting a hand to brush Lavi's bangs from his visible eye. "But I'm not a maiden," Kanda raises an eyebrow, seeing that as an admission that he _is _a virgin. His hand slides through the silken strands to rest on the side of Lavi's head and Lavi loses his words. Kanda parts his lips and gives his most alluring 'kiss me' look before leaning in and brushing his lips against Lavi's.

Lavi makes a small sound of surprise but doesn't pull back. His eye is round and his face is red, but he _likes _this. He likes the attention and the way Kanda stares at him with those slanted grey eyes. He likes the answering heat in his body and the odd tightening in his gut. Most of all he likes the way he feels tipsy, even though he is perfectly sober.

Kanda pulls away, admiring the half-lidded wistfulness on the redhead's face. "Wake up," he whispers. Lavi only looks at him, then gives a tiny nod and closes his eye.

Lavi opens his eye and sees those same grey ones in front of his, but now the scenery is much different and he is lying down. Kanda sits up, watching for Lavi's reaction now that he has full control of his thoughts and feelings. Lavi sits up, staring at Kanda with his mouth open in disbelief.

"A Vampire?"

Kanda nods. Lavi smiles.

"Cool." Kanda is surprised once again, but this time he is absolutely pleased. He smirks, flashing one of his sharp fangs, and leans forward invitingly. Lavi's breath catches at the sight, but he is not afraid. He tries to control his erratic breathing but mostly fails. Kanda doesn't seem to mind. He simply leans forward and brushes his lips against Lavi's again, this time in reality. Lavi's eyelid droops and he feels a thrill run through him, a strange type of pleasure he has never known, but he wants more.

Lavi pushes forward, sealing his lips to Kanda's, whose animalistic side has him growling and pushing Lavi to the bed in response. Lavi groans as Kanda straddles his hips, a new and blissful sensation resulting from the contact. Kanda's tongue flicks and twists its way into Lavi's hot mouth, leaving him instantly breathless and even more enthusiastic. For a beginner, Lavi's tongue is doing a fantastic job keeping up with Kanda's, mirroring and complimenting in a sensuous yin-yang fashion. Kanda teases Lavi into frenzy with just his mouth, little moans and hums tickling his ears. Kanda's hand finds Lavi's nipple and lightly rubs, his other hand untying his cloak and dropping it off the side of the bed. That hand then joins the other on Lavi's lithe chest, a fingertip tracing around his belly button and down to the hem of his pants. Ever the expert multi-tasker, he continues to ravage the eager mouth below his while unbuttoning Lavi's pants and finding his way to the hot flesh within.

Lavi breaks the kiss to tilt his head back and gasp, eyes squeezing tightly shut as his breathing turns into ragged pants. Kanda has never gotten such a strong reaction before, and he is intrigued by Lavi's shaking form beneath him. He decides to step it up a notch and moves down, hands settling on strong hips, fingers curling over and pulling down pants and underwear. Lavi has about half a second to wonder what the hell is going on with his body before he chokes on a gasp that he immediately exhales as a shocked moan. Kanda's mouth is suddenly a melee of sensation on a _very_ sensitive part of his body. Lavi is making all manner of sounds from moans to mewls to whimpers in no particular pattern, and Kanda is _really good _at whatever it is he's doing.

Lavi's hands search for some kind of anchor, landing on his pillow and holding on for dear life. Lavi cannot bring himself to open his eyes, much less focus them on Kanda, but he feels it _all_. It is hot and wet and sweet pressure deviates with slick strokes up and down his length. Kanda's tongue finds its way over every single sensitive spot and mercilessly exploits them all until Lavi's brain feels like it is going to melt. It is all he can do not to scream or bite his own lip off. In what seems like no time at all, Lavi feels a surge of lightning race up his spine and he's crying out, seeing white-hot sparks and writhing under the vampire's talented mouth.

Kanda hums contentedly and laps up any lingering residue before kissing his way up Lavi's trembling body. He always did have a thing for virgins. Lavi catches his breath, feeling a strong throb of pleasure with each beat of his heart, and looks up into Kanda's amused expression.

"W-what…what the hell was that?!" Lavi lets out a huff of laughter and claps a hand over his forehead. "That was…amazing!" Kanda just smirks, an expression that seems to promise much more to come. Kanda licks a bead of sweat from Lavi's neck and looks into his eyes.

"May I?" Lavi looks right back at Kanda, knowing exactly what is being asked here. He does not fear pain, and as unorthodox as it sounds, he somehow trusts Kanda not to endanger him by taking too much. Lavi gives a slight nod and closes his eyes, swallowing the anxiety he suddenly feels.

Kanda gives Lavi a slow, appreciative kiss before pressing his mouth against that elegant neck. He parts his lips and gently presses one razor-sharp fang above the artery, then with a quick, subtle movement he breaks the skin. With the initial tang of fresh blood, Kanda is lost. Such pleasure no human has ever known, topped only by a simultaneous orgasm and mutual blood-letting, although the latter he has yet to experience. He gives Lavi a small taste of this pleasure in the endorphins he releases directly into the bloodstream he feeds from. The affect is instantaneous. Lavi's eyes roll upward, his back arches high, and his deep groans mingle with Kanda's pleased hums.

As he continues to suck, Kanda's hips move of their own accord, undulating against Lavi to the thudding of his powerful heart. A crimson rivulet finds its way passed Kanda's fervent lips and drips once, twice, three times onto the sheets before his mouth shifts and the flow is halted.

Lavi has forgotten the pain of the puncture wound in lieu of the hot, dizzying rush of his blood burning through his body, making every cell tingle and pulse. He can feel that same tension building and knows it won't be long before he feels that blistering ecstasy once again. With a soft moan, he slides his hands down Kanda's back, up under the hem of his shirt and runs his fingers over his ribs. Kanda shifts and once again takes Lavi into his hand, squeezing and rubbing with all the dexterity years of working with one's hands will give. Lavi licks his lips, sweat-beaded brow creasing in anticipation, and starts thrusting into Kanda's hold.

Kanda laps at the wound, enzymes healing the cut quickly enough to see the cells replicating and filling the space. He watches it close, no trace of it remaining, and turns his full attention to getting Lavi off again. He doesn't have to wait long. With all the hormones he has just given to Lavi, the guy doesn't have a chance to last. Kanda takes an ear between his teeth, flicking it with his tongue and sucking lightly at it, then presses a spot below his erection that makes Lavi forget to breathe. One heartbeat later and he is coming hard, jaw clenched and hips thrusting. He manages a whisper of Kanda's name before losing all ability to speak or even think in sentences.

Several moments pass before Lavi can focus again. When he does, his eye finds a line of red just about to drip from Kanda's chin. Without thinking, Lavi leans up and licks the blood from Kanda's face. He looks into Kanda's eyes and shows a playful smile, dark pupil wide, green iris nearly engulfed. Kanda blinks, satiated eyes soft in the dusky moonlight. In that moment he feels something he never has 

before, and he does not know what it is. He looks down at the grin on his lover's face and feels his own lips forming something similar. He quashes the odd feeling of tightness in his chest and sweeps Lavi into a fierce kiss, letting him know their tryst is not yet over by any means.

Lavi responds with languid movements and fingers trailing up his spine. Kanda pulls off his shirt and is pleasantly surprised with Lavi's hands unbuttoning his pants and pushing them down his hips. Lavi's eyes are curious and lusty, trained on the bulge in Kanda's underwear. Kanda feels a prickle of something akin to nervousness that he immediately feels foolish for. He hasn't felt anything like this in decades, so why should he feel it now? He is distracted by being pushed to the mattress, Lavi's warm hands feigning confidence when his face bespeaks timidity. Lavi runs a hand through the cobalt hair spread over his pillow and nips Kanda's ear before moving downwards with quick kisses.

Kanda almost smiles at Lavi's audacity, but abruptly forgets any such thought. Lavi is imitating Kanda's earlier actions with unrelenting skill and grace, even adding some new things that even Kanda didn't think of. Lavi's mouth works with inherent expertise, one hand helping with what he cannot yet reach, and the other ghosting over hip bone, abdomen, inner thigh, anywhere he can think to extract subtle pleasure from his vampiric bedmate. Kanda has no need for breath, save for speaking, but if he did, the room would be graced with the sound of his sighs and quiet moans. Kanda can't remember the last time someone did this to him. He is usually the one doing the seducing, the one in complete control, so it comes as a shock when Lavi manages to make him come with only his hands and mouth, scrunching his nose at the taste but looking amused and pleased just the same.

"Shit…" is all Kanda can seem to say, eyes a little wider than usual. Lavi just grins, knowing he has made Kanda feel that same torturous rise and breathtaking fall that Kanda had just shown him.

Kanda's eyes meet Lavi's and they just look at each other, confusing, exhilarating thoughts and emotions swirling in their heads. Kanda leans up to kiss Lavi, pulling him down to lie beside him, and wrapping his arms around him to bring him closer. He doesn't think he has ever been this affectionate with his prey before, but he feels such intense attraction to this young man that he just doesn't want to stop touching him. Lavi is definitely not objecting. He is winding his arms around to stroke up Kanda's spine and run his fingers through his hair. When their kissing slows and finally stops, they gaze at each other again, this time with much sleepier expressions, and Lavi can't help but remember how tired he really was, and still is. Kanda sees this and reaches for the blanket that is now squished between the wall and his back, and pulls it up over them. Lavi smiles and closes his eyes, his fingers still sifting through the dark strands he has already grown so fond of.

0o0o0o0o0

Kanda's eyes drift open to a twilit cabin room. He looks at the sleeping redhead beside him, and then out the window that slowly lightens the room. The clock called the Sun is ticking down, and he must leave now or be trapped until it sets again. For once he wouldn't mind being trapped, save for the fact that Lavi's cabin is made to be bright and cheery during the day, and Kanda would burst into flames with the first direct ray of sunlight.

Quickly finding and putting on his clothes, Kanda takes one last look at the man who makes him feel what no one ever has before. He strides over to Lavi, leaning over to plant a chaste farewell kiss to his lips, and turns to leave before it is too late.

"Kanda?"

Oops. Kanda turns to see Lavi sitting up, a confused, sleepy look on his face. He takes three steps and pushes his fingers through that wild burgundy hair. "I must depart before the sun rises, but I will return."

"Depart? Why? The sun…oh. That's right, you're a vampire, huh? Where do you stay during the day?"

"I've rented a place near the edge of this town." Kanda tries not to show how anxious this delay is making him. He may not have enough time to get to safety if this goes on any longer, however much he wishes to stay. "I must go, Lavi, but I will see you again." Kanda kisses Lavi one last time, passionate and promising, before rushing out the door and through the trees faster than Lavi can blink.

AN: Definitely to be continued. Just let me know what you all think and I'll get the next chapter out ASAP for you guys. Btw, if anyone has any ideas for this, let me know, because other than Kanda having a mansion and going from there, I'm really not too sure about where exactly this whole thing is going. But I will definitely not abandon this one! I promise!


	2. Chapter 2

Lavi waits two full days before caving and investigating his midnight visitor. He talks to a couple of townsfolk who know about these things, and with the combination of his charm and some alcohol, he loosens some lips and finds out that Kanda has taken up residence in the abandoned mansion by the mountain. The place has been empty for decades, ever since Mrs. Jenkins and her son mysteriously went missing, but Kanda, as the gossip flows, is filthy rich and had the place cleaned up and renovated a month before he came into town.

Being the curious type by nature, Lavi cannot resist the urge to see this mansion for himself and find out why exactly Kanda has yet to make good on his promise. On the fourth day, Lavi packs a candle, flint, some water, and the pair of Japanese Sai Bookman got for him (just in case), and makes the 2 hour-long trek through the woods to the Old Jenkins Mansion.

He's been there before, once with Bookman, when he was about 10, for the sake of knowing the afrea's layout and history. Back then the place was rotting and decrepit, held together solely by the spite it had for the woods trying to encroach on its territory. Like some lurking old bulldog, too stubborn to give, but too weak to do anything about it. That's the impression Lavi had gotten from it, staring up at it with an awed expression while Bookman rattled off its history beside him.

Now, however, it is a real mansion. It has a wrought-iron fence with thriving ivy, emerald green grass covering as far as the eye can see, and even a garden full of blooming autumn flora and classical (and cracking) marble statues. The fountain is dry, but it is getting close enough to wintertime that it isn't unusual. The actual building looks ancient, of course, but more on the side of historical, rather than abandoned. Gothic-style architecture, complete with flying buttresses and gargoyle roof drains, compliment the walls' dark coloring and high cathedral windows. Overall, the 4-stories-plus-attic building is charming and elegant, particularly to one such as Lavi, who loves antiquity like he loves books.

He doesn't know much about vampires, but having read the new novel, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Lavi figures Kanda sleeps during the day, just like every other vampire he has read about. That is why he walks right up to the front door, then through it, and into the foyer without hesitation. The inside of the place is much more glamorous than the outside—well, what Lavi can see of it, anyway. Every window is carefully covered by thick velvet drapes, varying in color depending on what room they are in. There are candelabras, oil lamps, and even some torches, but none are currently lit. As soon as Lavi closes the front door, he is plunged into absolute darkness. He takes out his candle and lights it, holding it above him to see as far as he can. He takes a deep breath and begins his exploration of the house.

The sheer size of the house would be impossible to traverse in under an hour, so Lavi settles for a quick walkthrough, capturing mental pictures as he goes. There are Japanese artifacts and furniture tastefully strewn throughout the first floor, including a wall with a set of katana, another wall with silk fans, and a living room area graced with a shoji screen featuring lotus flowers and delicate birds. The furniture looks stylish and comfortable, if not a little stiff. Lavi chooses to test an attractive sofa the color of Merlot and finds it quite easy to relax in. After a moment of appreciating the room and the sofa, he moves on to the kitchen, admiring the wallpaper of the adjoining hall.

There is food in the kitchen, a clean sink, two nice sets of dining ware in cabinets, and fresh towels in a cabinet. Raising an eyebrow at the pair of plates and glasses drying on the counter, Lavi continues. He peeks into each room he finds along the way; a guest room, a bathroom, a closet, another guest room, etc. He finds an intricately carved mahogany staircase with gold inlay, trailing his fingers up the handrail as he climbs it. He repeats the procedure, finding a study, more rooms, closets, and a couple of bathrooms, all beautifully designed and furnished, lacking any light, and devoid of anyone.

By the time he makes it through the second floor, Lavi is convinced this is no normal person's house. The dark-yet-enticing choice of décor, the lack of light and activity during the daytime, and the ridiculous tidiness of it all is just too much. This must be a vampire's house, despite there being food in the kitchen (maybe Kanda entertains guests?). The question is: where is Kanda? Lavi figures if he were a vampire, he would sleep in the cellar, where he could lock the door against the sun and anyone trying to come in and stake him in his sleep, so he turns to make his way back down the stairs, but he never even gets a glimpse of them.

Suddenly he is lying on the floor, his head throbbing with sharp pain, and his vision blurring and darkening like it never has before. For a moment he thinks he is dying, but then he hears a young man's voice above him, and a young woman's answer. Before he can make sense of the words, he is drifting in a dreamless unconsciousness.

0o0o0o0o0

"Why didn't you lock the front door? Don't you know Kanda-san would kill you if he found out you forgot something so important?"

"Sorry…" he scratches his head, looking askance in embarrassment, "I thought I did…"

"'Thought you did' is not good enough, Allen-kun! What if he had hurt one of us?"

"I would never let anyone hurt you!"

The girl shakes her head, long green hair brushing against her violet dress, and closes her eyes as she prays for patience. "Just, don't do it, again, okay? Come on, let's get him locked up. Kanda-san will want to deal with him when he wakes up. He could be a young slayer for all we know!"

The white-haired boy just nods and helps her tote the stranger into the nearest bedroom. They plop Lavi onto the bed, taking his pack and checking his clothes for any hidden weapons. When they find no stakes or holy water, they breathe a sigh of relief, but when they find the Sai, they are puzzled. Apparently, their little intruder has no idea whose home he has invaded; only a sharp wooden stick or blessed water can hurt vampires. Lenalee pulls a key ring from her apron pocket and locks the door with a distinct click. Allen picks up the statuette he used to knock Lavi over the head and sets it back in its rightful place while Lenalee looks on, slightly disdainful of his abuse of the relic.

"Kanda-san had better not notice you used that or we'll both have to suffer his temper," she warns.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Kanda's temper bad, Kanda's serenity good. I get it."

"Well you'd better. I still remember the last time you two got into a fight. Destroyed half the room, you did."

"Heh. Yeah, but he was being an ass—"

"Allen-kun!"

"Sorry, Lenalee…"

"Just how many more times do you think he'll put up with you if you keep defying him? He'll fire you and have a replacement so quick…" Lenalee starts to look distressed. Allen just nods and looks like he wants to pat her arm, but puts his hands in his pockets instead.

"I'm not going anywhere, Lenalee. I promise." She smiles and the atmosphere seems to lighten brighter than the oil lamp she picks up off the floor.

"Thank you."

0o0o0o0o0

Kanda blinks open his eyes, reveling in his current state of full-body relaxation. It has been four days since he has fed, and that was a small amount, anyway. He had not wanted to chance scaring Lavi away by taking more than a taste. Not only that, but he didn't quite make it home in time that morning, either. He had been burned badly, and if it weren't for his vampiric healing and recent feeding that morning, he would be unrecognizable. His body still feels weak from having to heal so much damage so quickly; his senses are a little numb as well.

Slipping on the black button-up shirt and midnight blue slacks Lenalee set out for him, Kanda makes his way down to the first floor to get the news from his 'maid' and 'butler,' Lenalee and Allen. He idly notices that his socks match the rug on the stairs. Any such thoughts flee his mind immediately, however, when he sees the looks on his friends' faces.

"What?" he barks. Lenalee winces.

"Uh…Kanda-san…there was a minor incident…"

"Some guy broke in, but we caught him so it's okay and he's upstairs now locked in a guest room like you said to do if this ever happened and you don't have to worry because he's not a slayer, all he had on him were these," Allen rambles in one breath, handing the Sai to Kanda. Lenalee gives Allen a nervous glance, wondering if he remembered to breathe.

"What? Why would someone…he doesn't know? Then why did he come here?"

"Maybe he just wanted to steal something?" Lenalee offers.

Kanda throws her an uncertain glance and examines the black and silver steel in his hands. These are no ordinary European weapons. They are also very well made. Who would have something like these? And yet, something about them feels vaguely familiar, though he can't pinpoint exactly why.

"Take me to him."

0o0o0o0o0

"Uuugh, my head…" I look around the room, ignoring the fact that I can't see anything because damn it all, my head is killing me! What the hell happened? I think I got attacked by some guy, or maybe that girl. I've seen enough 'women scorned' to believe they could inflict this kind of pain if they wanted to. Ack, and sitting up just makes it worse, but hey, at least my head isn't wet, so no blood, yeah? Just a giant lump. Small mercies.

I feel around, my bag may be nearby…nope, nowhere to be found. Damn. I hope they don't keep my Sai. I really like those. Maybe Kanda doesn't live here, or why would there be two people—who apparently eat food—living with him? If it's not Kanda's place…I may be in some serious shit here.

I hear a tiny click from the direction of what I'm assuming is the door. Good thing Bookman made me go through all that training; I wouldn't have heard it otherwise. I stand, quickly feeling my way to the door along the wall. I stop when I find my way behind the door. The door starts to creak open and I tense in anticipation. I've gotta get the drop on this guy or I might just be stuck here—or worse.

When I can barely make out the outline of a person, I pounce. We go down in a sudden flurry of arms and legs, both trying to get the upper hand. I grab his—it's a guy, I can tell by his build—arm and try to pin it, but he has my elbow bent at an awkward angle. I lose his arm but manage to get a leg over his waist. With a quick, forceful push, I'm straddling him, going for his arms to complete the maneuver, but he pushes me hard and bucks forward at the same time. I lose my perch, trapping his arm between my body and the floor. Then my stupid headband slips, distracting me for a second, but in that second he has reversed us and even has my wrist on the floor beside my head. Before he can trap the other one I try to do the same thing he did to get me off, but I feel long hair brush my cheek and I freeze. He gets my other wrist pinned and plants himself a little more firmly over my hips. While my lower anatomy registers and reacts to this, my brain realizes I'm the only one breathing hard. Or breathing at all.

And then, "Lavi?!"

"Kanda!"

"What the fuck are you doing in my house?!"

"I—"

"And why the fuck did you attack me?"

"I thought you were gonna kill me!"

"I was!"

"Well see?"

"But I thought you were a burglar."

"Well I'm not, so can you get off me now?" Kanda pauses, seeming to think that over, but then he slides sideways and sits beside me on his knees. I decidedly ignore the thrill our touching pelvises were causing, and the lingering effect as well—for once I'm glad it's too dark to see—and concentrate on my pounding skull instead. I think it hit the floor a couple of times since we started this whole foray. I lay back on my elbows, too tired and dizzy to get up any further just yet. I rub my head and wince, hissing in the darkness.

"What is it? I didn't even use my full strength, you can't possibly be hurt."

"Che. It was your goonies who caught me in the first place. Knocked my head pretty bad."

I feel a hand touching my hair and hiss again when it grazes the lump. Kanda stills for a moment and suddenly my head doesn't hurt anymore. He pulls back and I can practically feel his scowl; I can tell he's not used to helping people like this.

"Thanks." Those are some pretty kick-ass powers vampires have!

"It's nothing," he murmurs. "Now what were you doing in my house?"

I sigh, knowing I'll sound like a girl, but I guess it can't be helped. "I wanted to see you."

I can't see Kanda's reaction to that, but his answering tone is considerably less angry. "You couldn't be patient, could you, you idiot." It's not a question, and it sounds accusatory, but then Kanda pushes my shoulders to the floor and kisses me hard. It is hungry and fierce, but _hot_. I let his tongue in when he laps at my lips, and we're mimicking our first real kiss together, all messy and wet, but just _amazing_ and I can't get enough, even though I can't _breathe_. His hands slide my headband off and he cards through my hair, his fingertips feel like heaven tracing all over my scalp, but then I have to pull back because I'm beginning to feel dizzy.

He almost follows my mouth, but then seems to realize why I need him to stop. I gasp and try not to laugh at how a single kiss with this man can make my head spin and my blood burn so _intensely_, as if he's casting some kind of spell on me or something. And then I have to ask.

"Hey, you don't have some weird vampire black magic you use on people, do you?" I get out between pants. He probably can't see the grin on my face, but I think the laughter in my voice suffices.

"No."

"Ah. Didn't think so."

I grab the front of his shirt and resume trying to kiss the sense out of him, and he doesn't seem to mind one bit. He rests his chest on mine, stroking my hair with one hand and sliding the other under my shirt to tickle my side. I pull his shirt up and stroke his back, massaging my fingers in little circles, trailing the backs of my fingernails down and dipping just under the hem of his pants. He hums and starts kissing down my jaw and neck, sucking and nipping on the way. I moan at the feeling, my hand holding his neck to keep him close while the other grabs his ass to spur him on.

When he pulls back, there is a dull glow in his eyes, just for a second, and then I close my eyes again because one of his hands has found my nipple. I try not to writhe on the floor like some lusty whore, but his hips are matching the circles his fingers are tracing around my nipple, and I can't keep from groaning. I turn my head to the side and I hear Kanda murmur a shaky version of my name. I already know what he wants; I can feel his gaze on my neck. I pull his head down to me, give his bottom lip a quick nip, and say, "Go right ahead, lover, I'm all yours." Kanda pauses for a second and just looks at me. I'm assuming he wasn't expecting that. Even I wasn't.

Then he dips down and gives my throat an appreciative lick. Just like before, there is a sharp prick of pain and the strange, dizzying rush of my blood leaving my body. But then whatever weird chemicals Kanda makes rushes in and completely obliterates my senses. It becomes hard to think and I-I think I'm flying…but it feels so good and I want more. My pulse pounds in my extremities and my temperature rises. I need Kanda to touch me. Then, as if reading my mind, his hands find my pants button and I'm much less confined. At some point, he stopped feeding, but I think I was too delirious to notice. I think I still am.

My body moves for me, pulling him close and popping open his shirt buttons so I can run my hands down his smooth chest. His hands cover my own, stopping them, and I'm confused, but he stands, pulling me up and over to the bed. Catching his drift, I pull my green t-shirt off as he does the same with his, and I climb onto him. We're kissing and touching and I never want to stop, but at the same time it's nowhere near enough yet. I kick off my boots and try to shimmy out of my pants with our mouths still connected but it's not quite working. I don't want to stop kissing him but these damn pants just won't come off! Eventually I get frustrated and stand up to yank them off. I hear a quiet huff that I interpret as Kanda's version of laughter.

"Yeah? You think it's funny, getting me this worked up? You sadistic bastard, you love to see me suffer, don't you?"

"Absolutely not. I love seeing you so far gone with pleasure that you're moaning my name and you don't even know it."

Oh holy shit, I didn't do that before, did I? I don't remember that…

"Hey, come here. I want to feel you." Ah, well, with a request like that, who am I to deny it? I crawl back over him, nice and slow, kissing up his chest on the way. He really does make me crazy, like when he caresses my side and grips my hip to bring me where he wants me. Ah, just like that…

"Lavi," he whispers my name with such desire. I just can't take it anymore!

0o0o0o0o0

"Hey, Lenalee, do you think we should check on Kanda? He hasn't come back down yet, ya know? It doesn't usually take him this long to feed, if that's even what he's doing."

"Yeah, I think you could be right. It's kind of silly to think, but what if that guy actually overpowered Kanda-san? Let's go make sure he's okay." Allen nods and grabs a lantern on the way to the stairs. When they get to the door, Lenalee pauses before knocking, because she hears:

"Ah, gods, Kanda! You're so damn hot, how the hell do you do it?"

The two eavesdroppers exchange shocked glances before simultaneously pressing their ears against the door.

"Years of experience, perhaps?"

"No way. You must be some kinda sex god in disguise," Lenalee blushes at the sound of Lavi's moan, "Where do you learn this shi—" Even Allen blushes at this one. He just sounds so…

"Ah, fuck! I can't wait any longer, Kanda, you're killing me here."

"How's this, then?" A yell and then a long groan, followed by what sounds like whimper.

Allen looks over at Lenalee, who is bright red, but strangely more beautiful than she has ever seemed before. He grabs her hand and pulls her back towards the stairs.

"You're too young for that sort of thing," he informs her when they're back in the safety of the first floor study.

"You're a year younger than me!"

"I'm too young, too!" Allen looks exasperated, breathing hard and glancing around the room uncomfortably. Then Lenalee notices he won't look at her and he's standing awfully far away.

"What is it, Allen-kun?" She steps closer to him, stopping him with a hand on his arm when he tries to back away. "Why won't you look at me?" Allen looks down, face coloring further.

"Because…" he looks up at her, "Because you're too pretty."

Lenalee is speechless at first, and then she just laughs. "What are you talking about? I'm not—"

Allen touches her long emerald hair, twining it between his fingers, then looks her right in the eyes and leans forward. He stops when their faces are inches apart, both holding their breath for what happens next. Allen tries to move but can't make it farther than an inch; he's too afraid of ruining their friendship by offending her. Luckily, he doesn't have to take that leap, as she does it for him. Lenalee tilts her head and touches her lips to Allen's, just resting them there, but when he presses in a little she moves. Suddenly their mouths are caressing each other like they've been too afraid to for the past two years. Allen's fingers bury in her hair and she wraps her arms around his waist and pulls him against her.

Lenalee sighs and leans into Allen's warmth, burying her face in his neck when they pull apart to breathe. Allen is far too shocked and happy to do anything but hold her, but his mind is spinning with possibilities of what the future now holds.

0o0o0o0o0

Kanda breathes in Lavi's scent in the process of getting the air to speak and loses his words. The beautiful young man squirming above him is just too perfect. His silky red hair brushing over his closed eye as he tilts his head back, enjoying a particularly nice squeeze from Kanda's working hand. The flex of his thighs on either side of Kanda's as he grinds forward for more, the curve of his lips when he moans Kanda's name, the sexy glint in his eye when he hears Kanda say his. It is the open-mouthed kisses down his neck and shoulders, the wet swirl of Lavi's tongue around his nipple and the way he whimpers when Kanda twists and pulls just so.

Kanda increases the pace of the hand wrapped around them, smirking when Lavi's hands clench the sheet on either side of Kanda. He knows Lavi is holding back by the strained groans and tense line of his jaw. Soon enough Lavi bows his head and makes a pitiful sound before yelling and biting onto Kanda's neck. The unexpected shock of the pleasure this causes sends Kanda right after him, eyes closed tight against the intensity of the rush.

Lavi licks the bite mark in apology, then slides halfway off him and snuggles against him. Kanda is not sure what to do about this, but given the elated state he is in, he just goes with it and wraps his arm around him. They lie like this for a while, just reveling in the aftershock. Kanda trails his fingertips down Lavi's arm, giving him goose bumps and making him hum in contentment. Lavi traces Kanda's tattoo and Kanda hears him take the breath that will ask the question he has been expecting for some time now.

"This is Sanskrit, right? Om. But you're missing the dream state. There should be another little swirl here." Lavi traces where the line should be, giving Kanda goose bumps this time.

"How do you know about that?" Kanda is floored. No one he has ever met, in the history of his long, long vampire life, has ever recognized the symbol, much less identified the missing piece.

"I know a lot of things, including most languages. I studied Sanskrit with Bookman in India when I was 12. I also studied Japanese when I was 14." This last Lavi actually says in Japanese. Kanda's mouth actually falls open in shock.

"Wait, it's pitch black in here, how did you know it was even there?"

"I remembered." Lavi interprets Kanda's silence as a sign to further explain. "I have a photographic memory. And this weird thing where I register whatever sounds or scents are around when I concentrate hard enough. It's something Bookman taught me. He said it helps you remember easier."

"Bookman? Why would you need to remember?"

Kanda's obviously confused tone made Lavi laugh a little. "Bookman…he's kind of like my mentor I guess. He taught me everything I know. He kind of raised me after my parents died. Said I had potential and he had freetime so he took me in and just kind of taught me…everything. I still have lessons twice a week at the town library, but otherwise he's content with giving me books to read."

"Wait, why is he teaching you all this?"

"I don't know…'cause he wants to I guess. He's just that type of guy, who thinks knowledge is power. I can't say no, ya know, 'cause he still supports me, and he did raise me. And even though I call him an old geezer, I still respect the hell outta him. Crazy old bastard's got wisdom like you wouldn't believe."

"In that case you might be interested in my library."

"You have your own library? You must have decades worth of knowledge locked up in this house, eh? I'd love to get a look at it."

"Centuries, actually. And you're welcome anytime."

Lavi smiles, thrilled that his lover just gave him permission to visit whenever he feels like it. Then it registers.

"Centuries! Centuries? Just how old are you?"

"About 320…or so…"

"Holy shit! You've lived that long and you're still sane?! How did you manage that?"

"It's not the staying sane part that was hard; it was the staying alive part. Being a vampire is much more dangerous than you think."

Lavi is eager to hear more about Kanda's life, but Kanda doesn't seem to want to share. Lavi will just have to work around that, then.

AN: If I am changing perspectives too frequently, please let me know!


	3. Chapter 3

Lavi wakes up once again in absolute darkness. At least his head doesn't hurt this time. He sits up and notices he is naked but covered with a soft, plump comforter, alone in a large bed. If Lavi were the sensitive type, he would probably feel betrayed or abandoned, but being the carefree guy he is, he figures Kanda just had somewhere to be and didn't want to wake him. He is still telling himself this when the door opens and the first light he has seen in over 12 hours pours into the room. Lavi squints his eye and makes out the black-hemmed skirt of a purple dress before his vision adjusts to the lantern.

"Lavi-san? I'm Lenalee Lee, I work for Kanda-san." She sets the lamp on the opposite side of the bed's end table and sets a folded stack of clothing on the bed. "I washed your clothes. You can bathe in the adjoining room," she points to the door, "And feel free to stay as long as you like. Kanda-san is out on business for now, but he should return before too long. He also instructed that Allen-kun and I take care of whatever you need, so please don't hesitate to ask."

Lenalee gives him a gracious smile and turns to leave, but halts with her hand on the doorknob. "Oh, and sorry about earlier. Allen-kun and I had no idea Kanda-san had already found his mate."

"Ah. Don't worry about it," is all he can say. This is all too odd. Lavi has never been waited on by a maid before, much less woken up in his lover's bed. How does one react to something like this? He gives her a small smile and watches her leave.

He takes his clothes and the lamp and finds the bathroom she indicated. The porcelain claw-footed tub is rimmed with metallic gold, with matching gold-colored taps. There is a small assortment of bath oils, soaps, and shampoos in a cabinet, along with fluffy white towels and washcloths. He picks some phials and starts the water, pouring in perfumed concoctions at random. He slips into the hot water and finds it unexpectedly gratifying. Before long, Lavi is leaning back and daydreaming, utterly relaxed with the mingling scents of honeysuckle, lavender, and rose pleasantly tickling his senses.

Lavi thinks about this new change in his life and what it might lead to. He has never had anyone beyond a casual acquaintance in his life, except for Bookman. Maybe he should talk to Bookman about this; who knows, maybe he can help sort out all this confusion. But what if he disapproves? Would he tell Lavi to stop seeing Kanda? Would he think Lavi made him up? _Vampires do not exist, idiot boy. Are you going schizophrenic?_ Lavi has no one else to tell, or even talk to about this. He will have to rely on the old man if he wants some advice.

And what about Kanda's weird employees? One knocked him unconscious and the other seemed perfectly natural talking to a naked stranger. Or maybe Lavi is making too much of all this. It wouldn't be the first time he has overreacted to something, however easy-going his nature. By the time the water starts to feel uncomfortably cool, Lavi has decided to just go with the flow of things and see where all this leads him.

After drying off and putting on his strangely sandalwood–scented clothes (leaving his headband around his neck), Lavi takes his lamp and goes out into the hallway. There are candles lit periodically along the walls—just enough to be able to not bump into things—and Lavi can see much more of the house than he could before. Most of the décor is typical mansion stuff: creepy portraits of dead people and expensive knick-knacks on ancient-looking tables. Lavi wonders if most of these things came with the place when Kanda moved in; they don't quite seem like his taste.

There is a scrumptious scent wafting through the house when he reaches the first floor. Lavi follows his nose and his memory to the kitchen and sees Lenalee helping a white-haired man set the table in the adjoining dining room. He looks up and gives Lavi a wide smile, walking over to shake his hand.

"Good morning, Lavi-san. I'm Allen. Sorry about before, I thought you were a burglar." His grin turns sheepish but no less friendly. Lavi realizes Allen is, in fact, not an old man, but decides not to comment on that.

"Ah, no problem. I would have done the same, ya know? I had no idea Kanda didn't live alone."

"Yes, he doesn't seem like the type to have friends, does he?" Allen laughs a little, then stops when he sees Lenalee's scowl. "Ah, I didn't mean—!"

"No, it's fine," Lavi chuckles, "He really does seem like the anti-social type. I actually don't know him that well yet. Every time we meet, it's like…" Lavi flushes a little, thinking of how their two trysts have gone. Allen and Lenalee exchange a knowing glance.

"Well that will change soon, huh? Now you can move in with us and we can all get to know each other!" Lenalee smiles and claps her hands together while Allen and Lavi give her incredulous looks.

"Move in!? But…"

"Lenalee, don't you think that's a little soon to say?"

"Nope! I've never seen Kanda-san this close to normal happiness before. Ever since he met Lavi-san he has been much calmer and easier to deal with. In fact, I'm sure he would want Lavi-san to move in as soon as possible, just as soon as he gets over his embarrassment." Lenalee giggles a little, picturing a stammering Kanda trying to ask a lover to live with him for the first time.

"Well he has been less irritable lately," Allen murmurs.

"Whoa, whoa, wait just a minute! Who said I even wanted to move in? I'm still trying to deal with the fact that I like a guy, much less a vampire! Moving in with him so soon is just too much!"

Lenalee just smiles with that confident optimism she has, and Allen looks contemplative as well. It's as if they know his thoughts before he even has them. They seem to expect Lavi to fall in love with Kanda, and that's creeping him the hell out! Just as Lavi starts to seriously consider leaving before these two plan his freaking marriage, Lenalee realizes dinner is probably ready.

"Lavi-san, please take a seat. Allen and I will bring dinner out and we can discuss things over a good meal." She smiles again before disappearing through the swinging door with Allen. Lavi hesitates a moment before taking a seat. He might as well stay and find some things out while he can, right? Besides, whatever they're cooking smells really good.

After the two bring out what appears to be a three-course meal, they all dig in, particularly Allen. Lavi actually just watches Allen scarf down plate after plate for a while, until he notices Lenalee's lack of reaction to this. Figuring this must be normal for him, Lavi decides to ignore it and starts in on his share.

First up is salad with romaine lettuce and baby spinach leaves, red grape slices and homemade Italian vinaigrette. Then comes lasagna with feta, mozzarella, and cottage cheeses with a side of garlic and parmesan French bread. Allen even fetches a bottle of red wine from the cellar (devoid of any coffins, they assure him) to celebrate their new friendships. Lenalee serves her specialty dessert: double fudge chocolate cake. Lavi has never had anything as delicious as her meal, and he tells her so.

"Oh, you flatter me, Lavi-san," she giggles.

"Ah, don't be modest, Lenalee, you know your cooking is the main reason Kanda dragged you here with him." Allen grins, his chocolate-covered teeth making them laugh as well.

"Hey, wait, do vampires eat?"

"No, but Kanda sometimes has important people over for dinner, people he needs to impress, you know? That's where Allen and I come in, mostly. Otherwise we just guard Kanda-san during the day and make sure no one gets suspicious."

"There's a dark side to this world that no one else sees, but Kanda knows the tricks to staying underground…so to speak." Allen frowns and looks uncomfortable.

"I see." Lavi wants to know more but the atmosphere has become heavy. He thinks it best just to let it go for now.

When they all finish eating, Allen leads them to the main study for after-dinner tea. He starts a fire and takes a seat on the 2-seater in front of the fireplace. Lavi takes the recliner beside it and Lenalee joins Allen.

"So, Lavi-san, you must have questions, right? Feel free to ask us anything." Allen lounges against the armrest, Lenalee leaning slightly against him. Their sense of ease and comfort extends to Lavi, who props a leg on his own armrest and relaxes into the plush cushion.

"Yeah, I have quite a few, actually. For starters, how long have you two been together?" He smirks when they stiffen and blush.

"We-we're not…"

"It's okay, Allen-kun," she pats his leg and looks at Lavi, "We actually just…admitted our feelings to each other tonight. We've been living together for the past three years, travelling with Kanda-san around the world, but we're still pretty young…"

"Ah, I get it. You're a couple of naïve teenagers, right? How cute! I'll bet Lenalee's the older one, too!"

"I'm 17. She's 18," Allen blushes.

Lavi is still grinning at how cute they are when a new thought occurs to him. "Hey you guys aren't vampires, are you?" They shake their heads. "Then how do you even know Kanda?"

"…"

"…Kanda and I helped Lenalee when she was in a bad place." Allen tentatively wraps his arm around her, pulling the suddenly solemn girl to lie against him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she smiles, a melancholy tone in her voice. "When my mother died, I was orphaned in China. My brother Komui looked after me as well as he could, but one day while he was at work, I was kidnapped. A 13 year old can't go shopping by herself in a town like that, I knew, but I wanted to help out…"

"It's fine, Lenalee, you don't have to." Lavi doesn't want to make her remember sad things.

"No, I'm okay. Really. They took me to their place and locked me up for a couple of days, hoping I would weaken without food or water. On the third day they came in to see if I was subdued enough, and that's when I saw Allen-kun. They had taken him, too. Apparently they were selling children to some kind of slave trade. But they underestimated Allen-kun. He managed to escape, after promising to come back for me." Lenalee looks up into Allen's eyes with glossy eyes. "I didn't have to wait long. Allen came back with Kanda-san that night and together they got rid of those men for good."

"That was when Kanda and I had just met, also. There was this vampire covenant that Kanda was a part of—against his will—and I ended up there because, after Mana died, a man came and told me I had potential to be a vampire slayer. I had nothing else in my life so I went with him. He trained me a little and then sent me off to a lair to kill some vampires, just like that. Well, safe to say, I didn't slay any vampires that day, but I ended up helping Kanda escape from the covenant, so we were kind of fleeing the country together. I went out to get some supplies we would need, and that's when I got captured." Allen looks annoyed with himself at that last part.

"But if you hadn't, you never would have saved me." Lenalee smiles up at him.

"That's right," he murmurs, rubbing up and down her arm.

"It was only because I helped him that he helped us. He was all set to leave me behind and high-tail it out of China, but his sense of honor wouldn't let him. That's one good point he has, I guess."

"After that I asked Komui-nii-san if we could leave, too. He didn't seem to mind getting away from there, either. Allen-kun told me he was going to India, so that's where I told nii-san I wanted to go."

"Kanda wasn't happy when he found out I was bringing two other people with us, but he knew how poor they were, and I think he has a weakness for nice girls, because he eventually agreed to travel with all of us, after Lenalee almost broke into tears."

"And we've been together ever since." Lenalee gives Allen a sweet smile and lays her head on his shoulder.

"What about your brother? Where is he?"

"He's around. We had to sneak out…because Kanda-san didn't want to live with him for a while…so he's probably looking for me somewhere in Ireland. That's where I told him we went, in the note, you see, but Reever-san, who knows where we really are, is with him, so I'm not too worried. I think nii-san will like Ireland. He always did love the color green."

Lavi just has to laugh at that. Allen and Lenalee join in and soon they are giggling and hysterical for no apparent reason. Which is why they all jump when they suddenly hear a fourth voice.

"What's so funny?"

"Ah!

"Wah!"

"Eep!"

All eyes turn to Kanda, who looks like he has just gone swimming—fully clothed.

"What is wrong with you people?" He plants a hand on his hip and gives them an annoyed look.

"Oh great, he's grumpy again," Allen mutters. Lenalee bites her lip to hide a snigger.

"Oi. Moyashi. I heard that."

"Welcome home, lover." Lavi grins at Kanda, who looks dumbfounded at that comment, even gets a hint of a flush on his cheeks. Allen and Lenalee raise their eyebrows at each other and try not to break out into another giggle fit.

"Nani?"

"Oh, you made him revert to Japanese!"

"Shut up, baka moyashi! It's none of your business what language I speak."

"Is it raining outside, Kanda-san?"

"It just started."

"Ah, my poor Kanda got caught in the rain! Come with me, I'll make it better." Lavi jumps up and grabs Kanda's hand, then commences dragging him up the stairs.

Kanda is too shocked to protest much at first, but by the time they are on the second floor, he snaps out of it. He snatches his hand back and turns on his heal, stomping off to his bedroom on the third floor. Lavi follows him, still grinning at Kanda when they enter the master bathroom.

"Wow. This is one nice bathroom. And I thought the one I used was nice. You sure are loaded, aren't ya?"

"So what?"

"Nothing. Just an observation." Lavi watches Kanda draw a bath, wondering if he'll ask him to join him or tell him to get out.

Kanda turns to Lavi and stares at him for a moment. "Why do you smell like a garden?"

"Heh. 'Cause you've got a ton of bath oils and I had the inclination—"

"I don't like it."

"Oh."

"I like the way you smell. Not this fake, overpowering, flowery nonsense."

"I'll keep that in mind." Lavi is flattered but surprised by the compliment.

Kanda turns back towards the tub and turns off the taps. Then, completely without warning or preamble, he starts stripping off his soaked clothes. Lavi crosses his arms and leans against the wall with a smirk. Well if Kanda's not going to kick him out, he might as well stay and enjoy the view.

Lavi watches Kanda's long fingers untie his cobalt hair, then his cloak, letting it plop onto the floor, then grip the hem of his shirt. He admires that pale, smooth skin revealed as he pulls his shirt up and over his head. Resists the urge to trail his fingers along the lines defining his chest and stomach. Licks his lips when Kanda unbuttons and unzips his pants. Swallows a groan when Kanda stops to slip off his boots and socks. Bites his lip as Kanda finally pulls his pants down, stepping out of them and into the tub. Kanda looks up at Lavi's flushed face and smirks.

"What are you staring at?"

"Your hot ass, that's what."

"Che." Kanda doesn't even bother to scowl. He likes being with Lavi and he's not afraid to admit it…to himself.

Lavi watches Kanda bathe for a while before becoming bored enough to chance being kicked out by prying.

"So what were you doing in town?"

"…"

"Some kind of vampire covert ops? An assassination, perhaps? Or maybe just a nighttime stroll?" At this point Lavi does not expect an answer from Kanda. He expects to be ignored and eventually told to leave.

"I'm assuming Lenalee and the moyashi told you how we all met," Kanda speaks with his eyes closed, relaxing back in the hot water. Lavi nods, then makes an affirmative sound when he gets over his shock and realizes Kanda can't see him. "Well that covenant I was being held prisoner in has been chasing me down ever since that day. Cross, the guy who runs the place, hates any rogue vamps in his territory, which is quite extensive."

"And you being the type to not want to be a part of any groups, you have to stay out of his territory or off of his radar." Kanda lazily peaks at Lavi through one eye. He is starting to expect higher and higher levels of intelligence and observance from Lavi as he gets to know him.

"Well it looks like some of his henchmen are looking for me in town. I took them out, of course, but there will be more. It is only a matter of time until I must leave again."

"What? Leave? But…"

"I give it about a month before the next batch comes, and a month after that before there are too many for me to deal with."

Lavi stays silent, processing this new information, until Kanda looks at him again and sees that confused, slightly distressed look on his face. He wants to comfort him, but he has no idea how to do so. Then it occurs to him.

"You…"

Lavi looks up and sees Kanda glaring at the bathwater.

"You know you could…"

"I could what?" Lavi thinks he knows what Kanda will say, but he wants to actually hear it.

"You could come with us," Kanda almost mutters.

Not 'me,' Lavi notes, 'us.' But it's still something, being invited to run away with your lover. Lavi's knees suddenly feel a little weak.

"I could…with you…" Kanda looks up at Lavi, suddenly incredibly interested in the gibberish he seems to love spouting so frequently. Lavi is completely overwhelmed, mind spinning, until he meets Kanda's fierce grey eyes and he can think again. Those eyes act as some kind of grounder that clears the whirlwinds of thoughts and emotions in Lavi's mind. His choices and all they imply become easy to understand.

"I have to speak with Bookman." He turns and leaves the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He runs downstairs and out the front door, thankful that Allen and Lenalee don't see or try to stop him.

Lavi runs a good quarter of the way home before slowing to catch his breath. He thinks things over and over all the way home. Possibilities and scenarios flit before his mind's eye one after another until he thinks his head might really explode. By the time he makes it back to his cabin, he is pretty sure what his actions over the next few days will be.

AN: I really appreciate everyone reviewing and I love hearing what you think of my lovely story! So please keep 'em coming and I'll continue to do my best. XD


	4. Chapter 4

Kanda knows he rushed into things with Lavi, he isn't that socially savvy, but he hopes he didn't scare him off. What was he thinking, telling him he had to leave so soon? Before they even have a chance to know one another, he sets a deadline for their relationship. Kanda berates himself through the rest of his bath, drying, changing, and on his way down to speak with his housemates. He must have one scary look on his face, because even Allen looks uneasy when he enters the room.

"Did Lavi go home?" Kanda just looks at them but they get the idea. "It's an hour to sunrise. It wouldn't be wise to go out now…" Lenalee advises him.

"I know that!"

"Hey, it's not our fault you're an antisocial idiot who can't tell someone how he feels."

"Allen-kun…"

Kanda and Allen glare at each other and Lenalee just sighs, defeated.

"We will be leaving in about two months. That's all I came down to say."

Allen loses the fire in his eyes and casts a worried glance on Lenalee.

"They're back again, aren't they?"

Kanda looks at her now, expression softened by her apparent fatigue. "Why didn't you two sleep today? How long have you been up?"

"That's not why. She's—we're just tired of having to move all the time. It's tiring."

"Well what the hell do you want me to do about it? Kill Cross? Let them take me back?"

"No. Not that. Just…maybe we should move further away? I don't know." She looks near tears, so much so that Allen can't keep himself from hugging her to him. Kanda's surprise goes unnoticed by the two, focused on each other as they are.

"We'll figure something out, Lenalee, don't worry," Allen murmurs.

Kanda scoffs and heads back up to his room, but he does not stop thinking of ways to end this miserable cycle.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Lavi sits in his usual spot with his usual types of books, his feet crossed on the table and his head resting on his hand. His eye continues to take in information from the text, but his thoughts are elsewhere. He is waiting for Bookman to show up for their usual tutoring time (if you can call listening to someone speak nearly nonstop for an hour tutoring).

When he hears a sound that is his mentor's disapproval of his feet on library property, he sits up. He sets his book aside and adopts the usual 'I'm listening intently' look, but Bookman can tell something is on his pupil's mind.

"What is it, Lavi?"

"Ah? I didn't say anything. Nothing's wrong."

"Wrong? I didn't ask if anything was wrong." He gives Lavi that stern, no-nonsense look and Lavi sighs.

"No foolin' you, eh? All right, well you're not gonna like this, but I've kinda been seeing someone."

It is Bookman's turn to sigh. "Who is she? Which of this town's fair share of trollops have you finally gone farther than flirting with? She had better not be pregnant."

"What!? Trollop—pregnant? No, no, you've got it all wrong!" Lavi waves his hands in shock, "Well…sort of. I haven't gotten anyone pregnant!" Bookman raises his eyebrows, that skeptical look making Lavi feel sheepish. "Well, it's a little complicated, y'see? First off, it's a guy." Bookman's eyes go wide, then he makes a, "Well I half expected it," face that Lavi doesn't see. "And he's a vampire."

"A vampire?"

"Yeah. I couldn't believe it at first, either, but then he bit me and it felt…" Lavi's incredulous expression says it all. Bookman's frown deepens.

"You're dating a vampire."

"Yeah."

"What is this nonsense? Haven't I taught you better than to make up stories for attention?"

"It's true! He—"

"Then where is he?"

"Eh?"

"Where is this vampire that you're seeing? I want to meet him."

"Meet…him?"

"Yes. Bring him to dinner sometime."

"He doesn't eat! And he's nocturnal."

"I'm sure. In that case he can make it to dinner tomorrow after dusk? He won't mind watching us eat and just conversing with us, I assume," he waves Lavi's further protests away, "Now for today's lesson. We went over Stonehenge's hidden history last time, right? I think we'll do the city of Atlantis this time."

Bookman keeps talking, but Lavi only half-listens. He is too immersed in imaginary conversations with Kanda. _Would you have dinner with me and my surrogate father? _Or, _hey, Kanda, Bookman says he'd like to meet you. How's dinner tomorrow night sound? _Lavi can even picture Kanda's reactions. _Are you nuts? I'm not going to ask your father for your hand in marriage, idiot. _Or, _why would I need to meet him? _Or even, _he can come here if he pleases, but I won't go to him. _Lavi sighs and slumps in his chair, realizing this is going to get much harder before it gets any easier.

After listening to the old man drone for an hour, Lavi goes home and does what he does best. He puts quill to parchment and writes what he eventually fine tunes into a passable dinner invitation. Sealing it in an envelope with wax, Lavi takes a deep breath and stands from his little table. He pauses at the door, almost forgets the whole idea, and then grips the door handle with nearly enough force to dent the iron. _I have to do this. I have to, if I ever want to be with him. Or even just have a chance. I have to…_ He repeats the mantra all the way to Kanda's mail box, then drops the letter in and flees like the Old Man himself was after him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Kanda sits up and blinks, bleary-eyed and messy-haired. Lenalee sets the candle down on the table and hands him the letter Allen found in the mail box this afternoon. It has two strange symbols on the front that no one else in the country but the three currently in residence, and their new friend, could likely recognize, much less understand.

"Allen-kun found it, although I had to tell him what it said. It's from Lavi, right? Who else could it be? Cross is still in Japan, isn't he?"

"Most likely."

Kanda cracks the seal and slips out the page without further ado. He squints at it for a moment, and then frowns at it. Finally, he looks up at Lenalee, who is very curious as to what has Kanda making odd faces.

"I've been invited to dinner," he says, "Tomorrow evening at dusk."

Lenalee mirrors Kanda's incredulous look, taking the page to read for herself. She also squints at the scribbled and blotted-out kanji, but when she finishes, she smiles.

"He wants you to meet his father!" She has to stop herself from clapping her hands in girly glee. _It's so cute! Kanda-san's boyfriend wants him to meet his family! This has never happened before. I wonder what Kanda should wear…_

"Lenalee." She blinks, realizing her eyes are glazed and she was staring somewhere past Kanda's shoulder. "I'm not go—"

"Oh, yes you are!" Kanda forgets to close his mouth for a moment. "You are not refusing Lavi after he goes out on this limb for you. You just aren't! You're going and you're going to dress nicely and be polite and tell his father your intentions and ask his permission because that's what you should do and—"

"Okay! I get it, already. Just…calm down, all right?"

Lenalee continues to beam as she flits over to his wardrobe, throws the doors open, and rummages through his clothes. Kanda rubs his right temple with a frown. There is no way this is going to go as well as she seems to think it will.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Lavi wears his nicest clothes, the ones Bookman picked out for him a year ago when he met some important people about an apprenticeship. It didn't work out, but at least he got these snazzy clothes. Matching black slacks and jacket with light grey pinstripes cover a white peasant shirt complete with cuff and collar ruffles. White gloves and a black top hat complete the outfit quite nicely. Lavi looks sharp and elegant and completely unlike his normal self.

Bookman notes all this plus the nervous look on Lavi's face in one glance as he opens the door for him. The fact that he even showed up means he is either taking this ploy way too far, or he really is expecting his vampire lover to come to dinner. Bookman hopes, for the boy's sake, it is the former.

Lavi plops into the nearest armchair in the sitting room, instantly adopting a look of deep consternation. If he were the type to bite his nails, he would have them gnawed to the cuticle by now. Instead he chews his lower lip, which is now red and slightly swollen. Bookman joins him, choosing the chair opposite his and gazing at the boy almost sympathetically. He easily recognizes the signs of stress but cannot guess how to alleviate them, so he chooses to ignore them.

"You're early."

"Am I?" Lavi answers without looking up. "Sorry." The word lacks any sincerity whatsoever. Lavi is on autopilot while his mind chases itself in dizzying circles. Bookman ignores this as well.

They sit in silence for a good ten minutes. Bookman's butler announces that dinner will be served in another ten minutes and Lavi's canine nearly pierces his lip. _The sun set half an hour ago, where is he? Or is he even coming? I'll bet he flat out refused such a lame excuse for a dinner invitation. Or maybe he couldn't read my terrible handwriting. I should have written more clearly. Now I have to explain to Bookman…He'll never believe me…_

"Lavi," Bookman calls for the third time. "Give it up, Lavi. He doesn't exist. Just because you—"

He is interrupted by a knock on the door. The butler answers it as the two stand and peer down the hall. They hear the two exchange a few words before the guest relinquishes his cloak to the waiting butler and Lavi recognizes Kanda's slim figure. He breathes a sigh of relief and gratitude.

"So who did you pay to play your boyfriend?"

"What!?" Lavi hisses. He pulls Bookman by his sleeve out of Kanda's sight. "Why would you think that? Do you even know me?"

"Of course I know you. I raised you."

The butler walks through the door, an annoyed looking Kanda at his heels.

"Announcing Mr. Kanda." Bookman dismisses the man and shakes Kanda's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kanda."

"Likewise."

If Lavi were suicidal, he would act on the impulse to laugh at the ridiculousness of this situation. Kanda is dressed like a rich count in a black coat with coattails over a deep red shirt, black pants, shiny black shoes, and white gloves. Most of his hair is pulled back in a low ponytail and he looks like he would rather be just about anywhere else in the world. Lavi cracks a thankful/sympathetic half-smile when Kanda meets his eyes. Kanda's answering glare seems to say; "You so owe me one." Lavi nods.

"Shall we?" Bookman leads the way to the dining room. Kanda is seated at one end of the table, Bookman on the other, and Lavi in the middle on one side. The minute their wine and salads are brought out, Bookman switches to interrogation mode.

"So how long have you been seeing Lavi?"

Kanda eyes the greenery before him with open disdain. "About a week."

"Really? So soon and you already come to dinner to meet his family?"

Lavi winces. He knows Kanda doesn't want to be here, and Bookman's just making it worse, but he doesn't know how to stop this. He stabs at his plate, taking gulps of wine in between bouts of breathing too much and not breathing enough.

"It is strange," Lavi holds his breath, "But I like him." His eye goes wide but he is too nervous to look up.

"I see. So your intentions with him would be…"

"I wish to take him with me when I leave this town."

_Oh gods, he said it. Just like that._

"And what if I would forbid it?"

_No, no, no. This can't be happening._

"Then I would have to go against your wishes and take him anyway, if he so chooses."

…_Shit!_

"Even knowing that I have all the money and resources anyone could need to find and kill someone, if I so desire?"

"Even so. I have had lifetimes of experience with avoiding my past."

"And if this young hooligan were to leave you, even after all the dangers and troubles you would go through to be with him?"

"Yes," Kanda pauses, sounding strained when he starts again, "I would still take him. I would not regret it." Lavi's throat tightens. He loosens it with yet another frantic series of gulps.

He looks up in time to see Bookman's challenging glare melt into reluctant admiration. Lavi's mouth falls open on its own.

"So be it. I hope you don't regret your decision, Mr. Kanda. He's all yours."

_WHAT!?_

"What are you doing, Lavi? Keep your mouth closed when you are not speaking or eating. Haven't I taught you that much?" There is a hint of a smile on the Old Panda's ancient visage. "What? Did you really think something like vampires would really exist and _I_ wouldn't know about them? Of course vampires are real. Why else would there be so much mythology and folklore about them?"

Lavi is literally speechless. He can't even think in sentences at this point. Just staring at Bookman as he is, he misses Kanda's movement from his chair to Lavi's. He touches his shoulder to get his attention. Lavi jumps and blinks up at Kanda, then blinks at Bookman, then back to Kanda again.

"I'm assuming this evening is finished, considering his mental state and the fact that I do not eat."

Bookman gives a curt nod and waves his butler to show them out. He walks towards the stairwell, pauses and turns to a still-confused Lavi, now out of his chair, and meets his eyes. "If this is what you choose, Lavi, I won't stop you. Even if it is a waste of your talent. Know that I always loved you like a son, and I would not take a moment of it back."

Lavi is floored, moved, and slightly tipsy. Bookman ascends the stairs before he can say anything back. He just allows Kanda to guide him into the street and halfway to the woods without even thinking about it. When he realizes they are going the opposite direction of Kanda's house, Lavi's brain turns back on.

"We're going to my cabin? You're walking me home?"

"…"

_Shit. He looks pissed._ "Look, Kanda, I'm sorry about all that. I couldn't think of a way out of it. I actually didn't think you'd even come. I'll make it up to you, yeah? Anything you want, just say the word." Kanda remains silent with a thoughtful twist to his usual scowl. "And about what you said, I know you were just trying to prove a point, you don't really mean any of that. It's cool. I get it."

The wind gets knocked out of him and he feels bark pressing against his back. His arms are held crossed at the wrist above his head and Kanda's face is close to his.

"I meant every word," Kanda growls into his ear.

His breathing comes in gasps, the cold air stinging his lungs. If this was painful, Lavi would probably be scared out of his mind. He is actually only mildly uncomfortable, due to the tree pressing into him, but otherwise fine. Kanda seems to know just the right amount of strength to use to hold him down, and for some reason that turns Lavi on.

"Kanda," he breathes.

His vampiric instincts tell Kanda exactly what reaction Lavi has to the situation. He nips Lavi's ear, drawing a pinprick of blood from the soft flesh, and savors the rare mix of desire and wine. His tongue toys with the silver loop for a moment before he moves on. Lavi's quiet groans reverberate in his throat as he kisses from the hollow behind his ear down to the dip between his collar bone. Kanda's palm finds the bare skin of Lavi's waist and follows it to the small of his back. He pushes their bodies together and sucks hard, leaving his mark in the form of a small red bruise.

Lavi's tooth has finally succeeded in breaking the skin; a rivulet of blood winds over the curve of his lip and down to his chin. Kanda quickly clears the mishap with a swipe of his tongue.

"Don't do that. You aren't allowed to hurt yourself. You are mine, understand? No one else's."

He gets one nod in before Kanda is kissing him senseless again. The cut on his lip already healed, Lavi reciprocates as enthusiastically as his buzzing brain will allow. It finally occurs to him that he might have drunk a little too much wine. Kanda releases his arms, which Lavi immediately wraps around his waist, and traces his thumbs along Lavi's jaw on the way to winding his fingers into his hair. He feels his jaw muscles working beneath his palms, the slow slide of flesh over flesh, and wonders what it would feel like to be inside of him.

That thought has Kanda suddenly breaking the kiss and looking at Lavi's dazed face in shock. He has never thought of actually making love with one of his prey. 'Lover' is just a nicer word to describe 

someone he seduces and draws blood from. Sure he isn't shy about getting off with them, but that's just mutual masturbation. Sex is connecting on a much deeper level; one Kanda has never felt comfortable with. How the thought comes to him so easily with this young man is perplexing and frightening.

"What is it? Kanda?"

He watches Kanda carefully, almost expecting him to startle and run away at any moment. He holds out a hand to caress the lock of hair separated from the tie. Kanda snaps back to himself and watches his hair slip through Lavi's fingers. Lavi's expression is full of concern and affection.

"Lavi…"

"What's wrong, love? Am I that bad of a kisser?" he jokes with a small grin.

_Love._

"Kanda?" He places a hand on his shoulder. Kanda looks into that green eye and feels an unexplainable calm wash over him.

"I'm fine," he promises. "Lavi. You…" Kanda frowns, closes his eyes to gain some focus, and starts over. "You're moving in tonight. You have few enough things to carry, right?"

"Wha—? I…yeah, I suppose. I'm moving in? Wait, what if I don't want to? You never even asked me."

"You have no choice. You're mine now, remember? Besides, Cross' men will be after you now, too. They've seen me with you."

Lavi huffs but follows Kanda when he starts walking again.

Kanda leans against the cabin door, eyes closed and arms crossed, waiting for Lavi to pack his things. He hears rummaging for several minutes, but it takes a surprisingly small amount of time for Lavi to finish. Kanda feels a light kiss on his cheek and snaps his eyes open. Lavi's lopsided grin evaporates any biting retort he may have considered uttering.

"Let's go, then." Kanda steps out of the way and silently follows Lavi out the door.

The walk to Kanda's mansion is silent and slightly awkward—for Kanda at least—and Lavi gets bored quickly. The night breeze is biting but the moon transforms the simple forest into an ethereal fantasy. If Kanda were anything resembling a romantic, this might feel like a moonlit stroll. Lavi sees Kanda's 

profile out of the corner of his eye and wonders what he would do if he tried to hold his hand. Probably slice it off with one of his katana.

"Hey!" Kanda twitches at the outburst but otherwise ignores him. "You know how to use all those katana you have, right?"

"Of course."

"Well why don't you and I train together? Y'know, me with my sai and you with your katana. It could be fun."

"Absolutely not."

"What? Why not? C'mon, Kanda, it could be good for us. I have to be able to defend myself from these 'dangers that accompany a vampire's life,' right? I'm sure you could use a little extra training, not that you aren't amazing—I'm sure you are—but you could always be better."

"I'm not going to fight you. I am a vampire and I would kill you, idiot."

"You can hold back, right? Like when we wrestled, you said you held back, yeah? And you never know, maybe I can handle myself. You've never seen me fight before."

Kanda gives him a skeptical look and purses his lips. He can tell Lavi is not going to shut up about this. It would be better for his sanity if he just agreed to this silly request now. "Fine. But I'm not healing you if I cut you open. I can't. It only works for small cuts and scratches."

"Right then. How does that work again? That weird healing saliva-thing you have…"

"It is not weird. It is a natural ability of most vampires. Along with minor dream-manipulation, heightened senses, increased speed, agility, and strength, and other such things."

"I see," Lavi nods, "Do you have any special abilities, you know, ones other vampires don't?"

"…"

"Ah, come on, there has to be something that sets you apart, aside from your looks, I mean." Lavi wonders why Kanda's face scrunches in momentary confusion at that last part.

"…Well…" Lavi gives his full attention to Kanda, walking backwards before him so he can see him as he speaks. "I suppose I have a stronger reign over dreams than most. If I make a physical connection once, I can join a person's dream at will."

"Wooow," Lavi falls back in step beside Kanda. "That's pretty awesome. So you could just jump right into my dreams any time you want? That's kind of…creepy, actually. But you don't, right? Are people's dreams uninteresting?"

"It's not that. I haven't actually entered many dreams. I prefer reality."

"Is it because you can't control someone's dream? You're at their mercy when you're in their head. I wouldn't want to mess around in that sort of place, either. But you can visit my dreams anytime." Lavi's sly grin almost gives Kanda goose bumps. The offer is tempting, though. He can tell Lavi isn't the type to be pleasant with people and then take advantage of them when they are helpless. Kanda could safely share his dreams, experience them for himself secondhand, if nothing else.

"It's ironic that you're so adept at entering dreams, but you lack the symbol for the dream state on your tattoo. You never told me why you have it, y'know."

_And I never will._

Kanda ignores Lavi's further attempts at small talk until he gives up, leaving them in silence once again. It is an hour and a half before they reach the mansion, but when they do, Lavi is exhausted. It has been a long, emotionally stressful day run on little sleep, and the excess of wine he drank is starting to weigh him down.

"Where're Allen 'n Lenalee?" Lavi tries not to trip on the carpet in the foyer and fails. Luckily, Kanda catches him before he face-plants into a vase.

"They're asleep. I'm the nocturnal one, not them. They stay up later occasionally, but it's rare." At this point Kanda is practically carrying Lavi up the stairs, answering his stupid questions to keep him awake long enough to get him into bed.

"So we're gonna train firs' thin' tomorra night, yeah? I won' forget. You'd better prepare yerself 'cuz I'm like a tiger when I wanna be, ya know."

Lavi sighs when he falls onto the big, soft bed. He feels his shoes pulled off and Kanda pulls him upright to push his jacket off his shoulders.

"Look at you, takin' care o' me. You're a lot sweeter'n you let on." Kanda scowls at him and turns to leave.

"Wait," Lavi grabs his wrist and pulls him back. "Don't go. Stay." Lavi gives one strong heave and they both fall onto the bed.

"Lavi—"

"Please."

With his arm firmly in Lavi's grasp, Kanda can either put up a fight or give in and stay for a while. He sees Lavi's eye close, a faint smile gracing the lips pressed against his sleeve, and he doesn't feel like leaving anymore.

AN: Did I mention how much I love reviews? Oh, and any sort of fan art for any part of this story is more than welcome. The next couple of chapters will be up sooner than usual because I know exactly where I want the story to go from here and I can't wait to write it all. So check for updates and I hope you enjoy!


	5. Chapter 5

Kanda has a lot on his mind today. For one, the fact that he is up during the day because he actually fell asleep with Lavi last night. He woke up a couple of hours before dawn and now his schedule is completely out of whack. It was probably the boredom that put him to sleep. It couldn't possibly have been the contentment and warmth he most certainly did not feel from lying beside Lavi and watching him sleep, Kanda is sure. He remembers Lavi's face being the last thing he saw before he drifted off, but that must have been a coincidence. There is no way he fell asleep next to that fool because he feels any happier than usual when he's around him. Not possible.

Allen and Lenalee, still in their pajamas, pad into the kitchen with sleepy faces, interrupting Kanda's musings and self-denials. He sits quietly at the table, a book before him and a spacey look on his face. He has been staring at the same spot on the page, unseeing, for several minutes now.

"Kanda-san? What are you still doing up? Shouldn't you be getting to bed soon? It's an hour after dawn."

"Hm." Kanda doesn't even look up, but furrows his brow in irritation.

Lenalee starts her morning ritual, cooking breakfast for the two of them, before she remembers the date Kanda had last night.

"Oh! How did it go with Lavi's father?" She cracks eggs in a bowl one-handed, mixing in milk and spices as she goes.

"You can ask him yourself when he wakes up." Kanda closes his book and stands, intending to avoid any further questioning by adjourning to his library. He is stopped by the shriek Lenalee doesn't manage to contain.

"Lavi-san's here? He spent the _night_? Does that mean…?"

"…What?" She just grins at him. He scowls, ignoring the urge to roll his eyes. "He's living with us now, so I suggest you make enough for him as well." Another shriek.

"Oh, Kanda, I knew you could do it! What did he say when you asked him? I bet he was so surprised! I wonder what kind of expression he made—"

"Lenalee!" Allen finally quiets her, "Why don't we wait until Lavi-san gets up and we can ask him all about it then?"

By the time Allen is finished advising her, Kanda has already taken his leave.

"Allen-kun, it's so exciting! Lavi-san's moving in and Kanda-san is actually happy for once!"

"Lenalee, you're doing it, again." Allen adores this bubbly side to her.

"What? Oh, that thing where I add honorifics in English? I can't help that, Allen-kun, I told you, it's too much of a habit already—"

"No, not that. I mean when you get all excited…" He takes one look at her happy, bright-eyed expression, and forgets the whole idea. "You know what, never mind. You're perfect the way you are."

Lenalee bites her lip. "You always know what to say, don't you, Allen-kun? You make me feel so special sometimes, with simple words," she smiles, "But you're just being honest. That's why I love you, you know?"

Allen's breath catches. "L-Lenalee?"

She reaches out a hand to brush his silver fringe aside and touches her lips to his. Just a quick kiss, nothing special, but Allen's heart melts. His shaking hands reach up to tuck her hair behind her ears. He looks into her eyes, feeling the love overflowing from them filling the small emptiness inside of him. The one that Mana left when he died; the one that he has never managed to fill. Suddenly, he breaks. A tear slips from each eye and he embraces her, holds her tight.

"Lenalee," he whispers into her hair. "I love you so much."

"Allen. I've always loved you. I always will." She hugs just as tightly to him, promises to herself to never let go.

0o0o0o0o0o0

It is a delightfully refreshed Lavi that walks down the stairs, having bathed and changed into his usual black slacks and green t-shirt. Stubbornly, he ignores the fact that he woke up alone again. Really, he didn't expect to wake up with Kanda, anyways; he knows by now he's not the type. He walks into the kitchen stretching and grinning. Allen and Lenalee sit at the table, mooning at each other over their plates. Lavi thinks they just might have been feeding each other before he walked in. He greets them with a cheery, "Good morning."

"Lavi! Good morning. We were just talking to Kanda about you earlier. How did it go at dinner? He wouldn't tell us much."

"Well, Bookman pretty much gave his assent, though he wasn't happy about it." He joins them at the table and helps himself to some breakfast. "It all went by so fast, y'know? I was kinda confused at the time, but now I'm pretty sure the old man just wants me to be safe. If what he said is true, he knows about vampires and the danger that comes with them. He probably just doesn't want me to get hurt."

Lenalee nods. "Yeah, sounds like a father thing to do, worrying about their only son."

"Well I'm not actually his son, but I guess he would still feel that way."

"He's not your father?"

"Nah, he's more like a surrogate. My real parents aren't around anymore."

"So that makes us all orphans." Allen puts a touch more solemnity into the statement than he intended. The three share an awkward, thoughtful silence. "It's fine, though, right? We have friends we would die for, after all." He shares a look with Lenalee that makes Lavi smile.

"That's right. We still have lots to be thankful for," Lenalee agrees. After that they eat with idle conversation as accompaniment, finishing shortly. Allen clears their dishes, declining Lavi's help, and Lenalee offers to show Lavi to the library, where Kanda is probably reading at the moment.

"Wait, Kanda's still up? Doesn't he sleep during the day?"

"He slept with you, silly! Don't you remember?" Lavi's shocked face makes her giggle. "I know, I didn't expect it either, but his bed hadn't been touched and he's actually up now, so he must have slept last night. Kanda can sleep during the night if he wants to, but that means he's stuck in the house until dusk." Lavi makes a face, hating the concept of avoiding the sun like the Plague. "He might actually be irritated that his sleep is off now," she jokes.

"I had no idea. I mean, I remember asking him to stay, but…" Lavi rethinks his idea of Kanda's lack of affection. Maybe he just doesn't know how to show it properly?

"Kanda spends a lot of his time in there when he's at home," she gestures to the library door just down the hall. "He always reads so much. I think it's his alternative to being out with people, you know? He never makes any friends, wherever we go, like Allen-kun and me. We still have friends we write to from all sorts of places, but not Kanda." She stops before a heavy, ornately carved door somewhere on the third floor. "Take this," she hands him a lantern.

"Oh, yeah. I've been meaning to ask. Most places like this, with money to spare, have upgraded to electricity. Why didn't Kanda want lights installed?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe he's just old-fashioned?"

"Yeah…I guess." Lavi shrugs, giving her a thankful smile before giving a light rap and pushing open the door. He closes it behind him with a faint snap, and wonders if the room is soundproof. Kanda looks up from his chair in the corner. The library is huge. Tall windows line the eastern wall, carefully covered by red velvet drapes that compliment the mahogany wood paneling on the walls. Shelves line every other wall from the high, domed ceiling to the blue carpeted floor. Every crevice of every bookshelf is tightly packed with books of all shapes, sizes, and ages. Lavi has seen enough books by now to be able to tell the ages of books relatively accurately, and he recognizes everywhere from centuries-old books to months-old books all over the place. His first instinct is to pick up the oldest-looking one and start memorizing it, but that wouldn't exactly be polite, would it?

"Hey," he greets the inquisitive grey gaze from the corner. Kanda nods once and continues perusing his text. Lavi takes that as invitation and grabs the nearest eye-catching book. Like a kid in a candy store, Lavi goes here and there around the expansive room, touching spines, making excited sounds when he finds a particularly ancient item, slipping out and holding a few to observe at leisure later. He spends a good half an hour just poking around at random before he sits down in one of the armchairs, plunking his considerable stack down on the table beside him.

Unbeknownst to Lavi, Kanda has been watching him surreptitiously for a while. The energy and interest with which the redhead flitted from shelf to shelf intrigues Kanda. He has never seen anyone so interested in books before. Even now, Kanda watches Lavi's fingers trace over the parchment lovingly, notices the reverent, careful way he holds the fraying binding in his lap, like a sick kitten or something. His eyes follow the motions of his hands delicately turning pages, drift up to see a faint smile attend an intense gaze, blink in astonishment when he hears Lavi's content sigh. His own book long forgotten, Kanda sets it aside and ends the quiet buzz of complete silence.

"You like books that much?" Lavi looks up, smile widening in the face of Kanda's attention.

"Yep. Don't you? Lenalee said you read all the time."

"That's different." Kanda refuses to elaborate, but with what Lenalee told him, Lavi figures Kanda reads for one main reason: he is lonely. Lavi was never one for close friends, moving all around as he did, so he knows firsthand how books can keep loneliness at bay. He suddenly feels an inexplicable urge to be closer to Kanda.

"Ne, Kanda. Aren't you…hungry by now?" Kanda's head snaps back up to Lavi. "I mean, I'm assuming I'm the only one you've…ya know…and it's been a while since the last time. How often do you need it, anyway?"

"It depends," his voice is wary, "If I do a lot of strenuous activity, I need more than if I don't. But on average, every other day or so."

"Ah, so it has been a while." Lavi sets his book down and crosses to Kanda's corner. "Don't be shy, yeah?" He kneels before Kanda with a grin. "I've got plenty to spare." He pulls his collar to the side and tilts his head.

Kanda just stares at Lavi for a moment, utterly flabbergasted at this man's willingness and audacity. Lavi, noticing Kanda's hesitation, meets his eye with a playful smile to reassure him. Kanda's reservations fade in the face of Lavi's trust and he leans forward. Breathing in the rich, exotic scent of Lavi; Lavi's hair, Lavi's skin, and a hint of Lavi's blood rushing just under the skin. Kanda brushes his fingertips down Lavi's neck and shoulder, feeling the shiver ripple down like wind over water. He grips Lavi's shoulders, lowers his open mouth to just over the pulse point. His fangs practically vibrate with the need to pierce flesh and feel delicious vitality flowing over them.

"Wait, uh…" Lavi looks marginally uncomfortable, "Just don't use the usual stuff, yeah? This isn't really the place for…that."

"Hn." Kanda would smirk if he weren't too engrossed in what he was about to do.

Lavi catches those usually thin, slit pupils, now nearly engulfing the iris in black, disappear behind pale lids. Then his own eye closes as Kanda's soft lips touch, sharp fangs open two temporary passageways, and the pain flits by unnoticed. Kanda tones down the endorphins, as Lavi asked, and instead of a burning rush, he feels a fluid calm spreading through him. Lavi's mind quiets to a single chain of thought, a happy, serene scene of lounging in thick green grass, watching puffy white clouds gliding through the azure sky, and thinking of time as a mere suggestion. Thousands of pink petals flutter down around him, dancing in the breeze, accompanied by a sweet scent he has never known before. He looks around and sees he is lying in a clearing ringed by slim trees adorned with these leaf-shaped blossoms. He stretches out his arms to catch the pretty airborne flora, bringing one to examine up close. His eye closes once again and he just revels in the tranquil beauty surrounding him.

Kanda drinks about a pint before making himself stop. Lavi really is like a drug: he just cannot get enough of him. He looks down at the boneless, smiling idiot he still holds and feels an odd twist that makes his grip tighten. Lavi's eye slides half-open and his smile widens.

"What was that, some kinda semi-dream? I've never seen that place. Those were Sakura, right? I never knew they smelled so amazing." His voice is breathy and quiet.

"Yes, those were Sakura. They're native in Japan."

"Do you miss them?" Lavi misses the flash of pain that crosses Kanda's face. "I think I would miss them."

Kanda releases Lavi's shoulders, letting him plop back onto his legs, and sits back with a small frown. "Yes, well. There's nothing I can do about it."

"Huh?" Lavi's expression sobers somewhat. "Why not? Cross chase you outta Japan, too? Even followed you here? Man, that guy's gotta be nuts to chase one vamp all over the world. What's his deal?"

"He hates not having anyone under his control. He sees me as a threat because I don't follow his rules. I won't just obey him like some kind of _dog_." Lavi blinks at Kanda's sudden ferocity and decides not to ask about Cross anymore.

"Well," Lavi pushes himself to his feet, "I guess I'll just be over here for a while, then." He plunks down into his own chair and retrieves his book, still feeling that relaxation and peace full-force.

Lavi peruses his books, speed-reading through one and a good portion of the next before he has to take a bathroom break. After another book, Allen stops by to tell him lunch is on. He glances at Kanda one last time, tucking away the memory of his adorable reading face, before following Allen out.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Lavi decides he loves Kanda's hair in that low ponytail with a bit loose near his face. Slightly feminine, but otherwise very fitting. Kanda looks up, catching him staring, and wonders how long he has been like that. Lavi's head rests on his hand, propped on the chair's arm, and his unruly red locks falling over his face and covering most of his eye patch. It looks as though Lavi has been staring at him for some time.

"What?" Kanda doesn't bother hiding his annoyance.

"Nothing," he says, but doesn't stop staring. Kanda growls. They have been like this all day: Lavi reading his books and Kanda reading his (at a much more normal pace). Lenalee and Allen joined them to chat for a bit, but when Kanda started glaring every time they spoke, they gave up and left. Now, Lavi is feeling restless from sitting still all day and wants to play. The sun has almost set and Lavi is just waiting, waiting, waiting for the moment he can go outside with Kanda. He wants to fight, jumping around, dodging and twisting, feeling that adrenaline and sharing the whole experience with Kanda. Lavi is practically buzzing with anticipation. He peaks out the window, watching the last few rays fade from the horizon, and like the shot before a race, Lavi is off.

"Kanda! The sun's down. We can fight now, right? Right? Come on, I'll go get my Sai. Meet me outside?" Kanda watches the door close after Lavi, wondering if the man has been possessed. He gets up anyways, secretly looking forward to the fight and seeing what Lavi can do. He retrieves his favorite katana, Mugen, on the way out, and sees Lavi glancing around the grounds for the best place to spar. He settles on an area between the woods and the garden. Wide enough to move around with ease and challenging enough to force them to be aware of their positions. Yes, Kanda would have picked the same spot.

"Are you ready?"

Lavi assumes his stance, sees Kanda follow suit, and with a wide smirk, he lunges for him. In a flash, Kanda draws Mugen, clashing blades with Lavi. Two sparks highlight the fading colors for an instant, green focused on grey, black opposing silver, blue swinging forward to graze red. Lavi pushes back, dodges a horizontal slice with a, "Whoa," and dances just out of reach. His laugh echoes off the trees and garden statues.

Kanda's expression is of utmost seriousness and concentration. He holds his sword two-handed beside his head to his right. Lavi holds one Sai backwards, resting against his forearm, and the other forwards, pointing towards Kanda. One defensive, one offensive. Lavi spins around and forward, swings his offensive Sai towards Kanda's neck while blocking a diagonal slice with his defensive Sai. Kanda ducks the first swing and aims for Lavi's thigh, missing by inches as Lavi jumps backwards. Kanda slices vertically at Lavi's torso, but is blocked by crossed Sai. Lavi then rolls backwards to gain distance, jumping up in time to block another diagonal slice. He counters by catching Kanda's blade in his Sai and twisting hard.

Lavi doesn't have the attention to spare to see it, but Kanda's eyes widen as his katana is almost ripped from his hold. He tilts his sword forward and pulls up just in time, freeing his blade from the bars of the Sai, but before he can bring it back to get momentum for a swing, Lavi's other Sai is thrusting straight for his gut. Kanda turns sharply to the side, bringing Mugen forward to block a following thrust. The Sai glances off the blade but continues forward until the handle collides with it, nearly impaling Kanda anyway. Lavi starts to twist the Sai once again, but Kanda is already withdrawing his blade. Kanda retreats, holding Mugen up and glaring at Lavi, who is still smiling, both Sai against his forearms now.

"What's the problem, Kanda? Am I a little better'n you expected?"

"Che." Kanda scowls.

"I've been practicin' with these Sai since I was 12. Bookman would've disowned me if I hadn't gotten to some level of proficiency by now."

Kanda declines mentioning he's been practicing with his katana for over 2 centuries. He chalks it up to his lack of practice lately and the fact that he's holding back _a lot_. He grits his teeth and attacks. Lavi parries, turns, aims a stab at Kanda's ribs, and gets blocked once again. Mugen's handle meets Lavi's sternum, throwing his focus off with the shock of unexpected pain. He bends over instinctually, not realizing the mistake until it is too late. Kanda twirls the blade over his wrist, swings down, and stops it just above Lavi's neck. With the cold steel resting against his skin, Lavi knows he has lost this one already. The pressure recedes and Lavi straightens with a sheepish smile.

"Guess you win this round, Boss. How 'bout another?" He notices Lavi isn't even winded. Kanda is mildly impressed. The match had been short but fierce, after all; meaning Lavi is in excellent shape. He gives a curt nod and gets back into fighting stance. Lavi does the same.

They fight for a good hour, moving all around the area in a mock-deadly dance. Clashing, evading, and swinging their hearts out until Lavi is panting and sweating, but still smiling and having the time of his life. Even Kanda has begun to thoroughly enjoy the exercise, although he'd be damned if he showed any of it.

Lavi is an excellent opponent for one so young. Kanda can tell he has been learning and improving from the very beginning of their session. By the time Lavi falls flat on his back, too worn out to block Mugen from impaling his chest, Kanda has stopped holding back about 80. Kanda withdraws just before the tip bites through Lavi's skin and proceeds to ignore him as he sheaths Mugen and idly observes the stars.

"Woo, what a workout. We should try unarmed next time, yeah?" Lavi makes no effort to pick himself up just yet. Instead, he follows Kanda's gaze to the Gemini Constellation, or thereabouts. Lavi always loved the stars, ever since he was a little kid. He could remember Bookman getting annoyed with him because he didn't want to learn history; he wanted to learn about the stars.

Kanda glances at Lavi from the corner of his eye and feels that odd tension inside himself again. That far-off look in his eye, that contented smile. Something about him just makes Kanda want to get closer. But he still feels all too clearly the pain of having someone that close ripped from him.

"Ne, Kanda. You ever wonder if there's anything like Fate?" Kanda remains silent, watching the stars again. "Like if Bookman never found me, would I have survived? And if Allen had never met Lenalee." Lavi sits up, pulls his knees against his chest, and looks up at Kanda. "Or if you had never become a vampire, we would never have met."

"Such things do not matter. What is the point of such questions if there will never be an answer?" Kanda's scowl is just for show this time. He has actually wondered these things before, but the evasive answers made him realize their questions' futility.

Lavi is silent for a time and Kanda's creeping worry makes him look Lavi's way. He looks thoughtful and a little melancholy. "I guess you're right," he relents, "But I'll still wonder." Kanda almost smirks.

"Kanda!" Both look Allen's way as he comes sprinting towards them from the gate. "Kanda, in the town—you have to—go now, or—there won't be—"

"Slow down, Allen. Breathe. What's wrong?" The boy catches his breath in frantic gulps, palm pressed against the stitch in his side.

"Cross' men are in town. They're starting trouble. You have to go. Now!"

With a growl, Kanda grabs Mugen's scabbard to keep it steady and sprints off without a second glance. Lavi just stares after him. No one should have that much speed.

"Is he gonna be okay? I mean, I ain't braggin' or nothin' but we just sparred for like an hour…"

"He'll be fine. Um." Allen looks uncomfortable. "He'll probably need to…feed when he comes back…especially if he's injured."

"Oh, no prob. He sucked some of my blood this afternoon."

"Ah. I see. No worries then."

"Hey, lighten up, Allen. It's just blood."

"…Yeah. I guess you're right."

"Anyways, is he gonna be a while?"

"Well…it's ways to town, and then he has to find them. I'd guess a couple of hours, actually."

Lavi sighs. He was kind of looking forward to some after-battle fun.

"Back to the library, I suppose."

Lavi ambles his way to the library, tired enough to collapse into a chair the moment he gets there. It only takes five minutes before Lenalee comes up with a tray full of dinner for him.

"Ah, thanks, Lenalee! You didn't have to," he mumbles around mouthfuls. She giggles at his zeal.

"It's nothing. I figured you'd be hungry after all that exercise. I've seen Kanda fight enough to know how tiring it can be."

"Mmhmm." Lavi smiles and returns her wave when she bids him goodnight.

Lavi finishes his meal and soon feels refreshed enough to scout out more books. He pokes around for a bit before noticing a closet near the back that he missed earlier. Considering it was meant to remain hidden, this isn't appalling, despite Lavi's training in noticing everything around him at all times. Lavi slides his fingers over the stone, all around the hairline fracture, and finally finds a loose spot near the top. He presses in on it and hears a click before the door slides open an inch.

"What do we have here?" Within lay a small black chest, small enough to carry and large enough to store a sizable amount. Lavi examines the lock, pulls out a bit of wire (one of several small things he always carries on him) and commences to pick it. When he gets it open he finds several journal-style books. The first of which looks the newest of the bunch. Lavi pulls out the oldest and begins reading, crouched right there in the closet entrance.

As he reads, his eye gradually widens as he gets an idea of whom these journals must belong to. The story so far is: the person grew up in Japan and was orphaned before they were six, along with a younger sister. A General Froi Tiedoll took them in and taught them many things needed to survive.

Lavi reads about the author's childhood, brief as it is in the text, and finds himself unable to put the book down. He's pretty sure by now that he's reading Kanda's personal grimoire, and it's a major violation of trust if he is, but he just can't stop. With every articulated word, every new piece of the melancholy puzzle, Lavi falls deeper into Kanda's memories.

When he gets to the part about Kanda finding out that his father-figure, the good General, has actually been lying to him about what their organization does, Lavi is hooked. He relives Kanda's shock as he learns of the dark world of the Vampire and all that it entails, his forgiveness of Tiedoll when he comes to understand the necessity of defeating such evil, and his determination when he decides to help fight for the cause. Lavi sees the love he has for his sister and the ferocity with which he protects her from knowing or suffering from this secret.

"Huh. Wonder why he doesn't use her name. It's just 'Imotou' everywhere, 'ore no imotou'…" Lavi shrugs, tucking that thought away for later. He turns the page and finds what appears to be a new chapter, style somewhat more mature, as if it was written sometime later. Reading the very first sentence, Lavi almost drops the book in shock.

Kanda was 20 years old when he woke to his sister's screams in the dead of night. In his panic, he forgot his katana on his way to her room. When he got there, he saw his kind, intelligent sister dangling from the grip of a feral, blood-soaked beast. With a shout, Kanda lunged at the thing, completely uncaring of his own safety, and was easily smacked aside.

The thing chuckled and dropped her lifeless body to the ground, turning to him and dragging him to his feet by his long hair. Kanda glared fierce hatred at the thing, never ceasing to strike out, even when it brought his thin wrist to its mouth and bit down. The blood oozed from his arm, straight into that thing's greedy mouth, and Kanda seethed to think he was giving it power against his will.

His shout rang out into the room and the Vampire dropped him in surprise, having been simultaneously kicked in the groin and punched in the throat. It coughed blood out onto Kanda's arm before he fell to the floor, immediately swinging his leg around to knock it over. It fell beside him and he scrambled to find the wakizashi his sister kept under her bed. He clasped the handle just as the Vampire grabbed and pulled his ankle. Unsheathing it in one quick motion, Kanda stabbed the thing's shoulder, wrenching it and himself free and regaining his stance a safe distance away. It gave an outraged shriek and picked itself up off the floor. They glared at each other in the darkness, waiting for the other to make a move.

Kanda glanced towards his sister and the thing laughed without mirth. Then Kanda gasped as he realized what a thick cloak and long, scraggly hair had been hiding.

"She's already dead, boy," she said. A low, malicious rumble of a laugh. "Sucked her dry, I did. And you're next, yes you are. You're already feeling weak no? That wrist of yours is bleeding pretty badly, isn't it?"

"Che." Kanda scowled harder and clenched his hand tighter on the hilt. "Fuck you."

"Oh-ho-ho Got some spirit in you, eh? Wonderful. The spirited ones always last the longest. Make the most savory meals."

Kanda didn't care to hear anymore of her abuse. With a battle cry, he lunged at her once again, slashing and stabbing with reckless abandon. Anything to destroy his sister's murderer.

"Lavi?" He nearly jumps out of his skin as Allen's voice brings him out of the story. Lavi is out of sight behind a bookshelf, so he quickly replaces the journal, closes the chest, and snaps the door shut before Allen can see what he's up to.

"Yeah."

"Ah, there you are. I just came by to see if you'd like to play cards with Lenalee and me."

"Sure, Allen. Love to." Lavi can be an expert actor when he wants to, as proven by the fact that Allen notices nothing unusual about Lavi or the situation at all.

"Great! You know, it's been a while since we've played anyone else. Kanda always refuses and there weren't many people who knew how to play Western games in the last place we stayed."

Lavi nods but is not really listening. As he follows Allen to the study, his thoughts are solely with that journal, and all the mysteries within.

AN: Soooo sorry for being a week late! This was a really challenging chapter, not to mention other stories and some personal stuff…but yeah. And seeing as how I could start a blood bank from that last story I posted on my lj, I'm thinking there should be some more R-rated stuff in the next chap? What do you guys think?


	6. Chapter 6

Allen is a demon. That's all there is to it. Lavi would never believe it if he hadn't witnessed the boy's dark side in person, but there you have it. Allen Walker, the card-shark.

Lavi cringes as Allen makes a small hum, completely unreadable, as usual, and utterly terrifying at the same time. Allen took all of Lavi and Lenalee's money and is working on their clothing, as well. In fact, Lavi already lost a good portion of his, being reduced to his boxers, his precious bandana, and his t-shirt, and it doesn't look like Allen has had anywhere near enough yet. At least Lenalee has been able to keep her dress…so far.

Just as Lavi sighs and begins to remove his shirt, paying Allen for yet another win at Poker, Kanda walks through the study door. He glances around disinterestedly, hand holding his katana still on his hip, and when his eyes fall on Lavi's mostly-naked form, he just raises an eyebrow.

"Lenalee didn't warn you? The moyashi cheats at cards."

"Yeah, no kidding," Lavi huffs, shooting Allen a glare. He gives Lavi his best innocent smile and returns his winnings to them.

"No harm, no foul, right, Lavi?"

"Yeah, yeah." He grins at Allen nonetheless as he puts his clothes back on. Lavi looks at Kanda and sees him in a new light. This stoic, seemingly cold-hearted warrior of a vampire had a baby sister that he cherished. It almost boggles his mind.

Kanda takes one look at the empathetic, starry-eyed expression on Lavi's face and is immediately confused. He's never looked at him like that—well, not that sappy, anyways. The most infatuated look he's ever seen on that ever-smiling visage was…actually it was just this afternoon when he caught Lavi staring instead of reading. Come to think of it, that was weird, too.

After a moment, he blinks and finds himself staring into Lavi's eye, with him grinning and staring right back. Kanda frowns and turns his head away, annoyed that he'd been daydreaming about ridiculous things again.

"We're fine for now, but make preparations to move. Wherever you want, I don't care. Two weeks." Kanda directs his orders to Allen and Lenalee, who seem to be more than used to it, and abruptly exits.

Lavi sighs and makes his way up to take a bath. Thinking about the Kanda in the journal and the Kanda he actually interacts with is confusing as hell. In fact, it's all he thinks about for the rest of the night, and he can't wait for the privacy to read those journals.

0o0o0o0

With a battle cry, he lunged at her once again, slashing and stabbing with reckless abandon. Anything to destroy his sister's murderer.

"Yuu-kun!" Kanda slashed at the vampire and dodged a swipe of its sickly sharp claws, whipping his head around to see General Tiedoll in the doorway.

"I can handle this. She's _mine_!"

"Yuu-kun, this is not the time for your usual rashness. This person is—"

"A fucking beast is what she is! And I'm going to send her straight to _Hell_."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

"_What!?_" In the instant Kanda's guard was down, the vampire snickered and dived out the open window she'd come through. With a startled shout, he moved to follow her, uncaring of the three story drop below.

"Ah, wait just a moment there, Yuu-kun," Tiedoll grabbed him before he could defenestrate himself. Kanda fought against him, but the old man had some hidden strength in him that he couldn't quite rival. He changed his tactic, hoping to fool him into believing he'd calmed, and then jump out before he could latch onto him again.

Tiedoll seemed to know exactly what Kanda was thinking, however, as he held tight and half-dragged, half-carried the quiescent boy into the hallway. Furious but knowing better than to attack his own master, he silently seethed, waiting for the chance to escape.

Motioning to a nearby servant, the General muttered urgent orders that Kanda could not hear, and the man was off, dashing down the hall and ringing some kind of alarm when he reached the end.

"Now, Yuu-kun, at least hear me out before you go rushing about trying to get yourself killed, hm?" He plopped him down into a chair in the study and pulled one to sit across from him. Kanda's usual death-glare did nothing for Tiedoll.

"Why did you stop me!? You saw what she did! My sister—"

"Will receive a most honorable burial, and live on forever in our memories," Tiedoll began to sob, tears flowing generously down into his beard. Kanda sighed, fighting to keep his own emotional state stable. "The thing is…that was a very old, once powerful vampire." Kanda's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Oh, yes, there are such things. The reason I never told you or your dear, dear sister, is that I wished to spare you the torment of that world. If possible, I wanted for you both to never know the horrors of that race."

"But why couldn't I kill it?" He had no choice but to believe him, the throbbing bite mark on his wrist and the inhuman strength she seemed to possess posed quite the persuasive argument.

"Well, for one, you wouldn't have been able to," he cut off Kanda's imposing argument, "Also, if you were to kill her, you would have half of the continent's Dark Vampires after your head within a fortnight. And that…nobody here wants."

"Even though you say that…" Kanda formed his resolve and steeled his quavering heart. "Even so, I can't let this go! I will end her tainted life if it is the very last thing I ever do."

And so it began. Lavi reads and relives Kanda's feelings of betrayal, fear, anger, and eventually, hopelessness. After leaving Tiedoll and pursuing his nemesis against his wishes, Kanda got into a series of predicaments that nearly killed him, but served to strengthen instead. It is some months later, having been single-mindedly wondering through countless countries, that he finally noticed something was very wrong with him.

"Are you all right, son?" A kind elderly man stopped beside the bedraggled, curled-up form of Kanda, stranded somewhere between borders. He had not been able to eat, and even water and wine refused to stay down for long by that point.

"Get away from me," he croaked. He was pale, dirty, skeleton-thin, and in no condition to be making demands, but that didn't deter him in the least. He shot the man his fiercest glare, made even more horrific by the sunken quality and dark circles around his eyes.

"Do you live near here? Is there any way I can help you?" The man kept his distance, but refused to leave.

"You can leave me the hell alone!" Kanda attempted to scramble up and away, not liking the way he was beginning to feel. Hungry.

"There, there, now, just let me help you. A young man like yourself has no right denying the help of his elders, does he?" He caught Kanda when he stumbled, draping one of his bony arms over his shoulders and firmly guiding him towards his home. "We'll just get you a good meal and a warm bath and you can be on your way first thing in the morning. My wife makes a wonderful stew."

Weak, and feeling more so by the hour, Kanda put his pride aside and accepted the help for once. The man's cottage was small but cozy, his wife cheerful and motherly, even though they'd never had children.

A soothing bath, delicious meal, and soft blanket later, Kanda sat in the darkness of their living room, feeling his stomach roil. He had really hoped this time would be different, but soon enough, he was tumbling to the floor of the bathroom and emptying his merciless gut. Frustrated and exhausted, he cleaned himself up and padded back down the hall.

"I don't know where he came from, Olivia, I just found him there. I couldn't leave him. He looked so helpless!" Kanda stopped by the cracked door to listen to their whisperings.

"I know, dear. It's all right. He seems harmless enough. I just wish we could do something more for him. Perhaps we could give him a place to stay until he finds a job and a place of his own? We could afford that much, couldn't we?"

"Maybe. We'll see what he thinks, tomorrow morning, and ask him how he came to be here, as well."

They were such nice people. Kanda wasn't used to such selfless kindness; he didn't know how to respond. But the worst part was that he had realized during dinner why he felt this way around people. He wasn't hungry for the food, he was hungry for something _inside them_.

He felt like a monster.

Dreams of blood and gore, tendrils of phantom pain and the ever-present backdrop of tense discomfort plagued him. The delicate flower of his baby sister ripped to shreds again and again, no matter how he cried out. Trapped in the torture of his own distressed mind, Kanda was rapidly approaching a terrible kind of near-insanity.

"Wake up, son! Wake up! You're having a nightmare," the old man urged.

Kanda's garbled urgencies echoed through the small space of their tidy home. He gently shook the young man's trembling shoulders, attempting to arrest the nightmares with the clarity of consciousness. When his eyes finally snapped open, they shone with a fearsome light. His tentative host released his shoulders and took a step back, but it wasn't quite enough. The last thing he heard, before violent pain tore through him, was an inhuman growling coming from the deceptive figure of a small, harmless teenager.

That night, Kanda killed that kind old man and his cheerful wife in a rabid state of dementia and primal thirst. It would be the night he remembered as the beginning of his downfall.

Lavi closes the journal with a hollow thump. His eye is wide and his stomach turns, but he doesn't want to stop. Even knowing many more atrocities await him in his quest to understand this new person in his life, he refuses to quit. Kanda Yuu has become someone important to him, possibly the most important person he will ever meet; ignoring the ugly truth of who he is, who he was, would be unforgivable.

The only problem is: he can't exactly read while combating the urge to vomit, can he?

0o0o0o0

Cross Marian was infamous in the Vampire world. He had power, charisma, confidence, and skill, and no qualms about using them all to get what he wanted. No one knew exactly how long he had lived, and no one was brave enough to ask. But given his tendency to construct elaborate games and other dramatic intricacies to pass the time, it was assumed that it had been a very long time indeed. The fact that he had pretended to be a Hunter and tricked a young, recently orphaned boy to infiltrate and attempt to assassinate a nest of elite Vampires was proof enough. Too bad that little prick had run off with his newest slave instead.

"That bastard Tiedoll's been messin' with my shit again. Can't you fuckin' idiots handle one Hunter without me havin' to come in to save yer asses!?" The three in question flinched and gave a few deep bows in apology. The last time this happened, their former fourth had gotten his throat ripped out before their very eyes.

"Our deepest apologies, Cross-sama! We will not fail you again!"

"Get outta my sight, you incompetent jackasses."

A last couple of bows and they were scrambling to be out the door first. Cross shook his head. Even his three best vampires could only return with excessive wounds and meaningless excuses. It was _so_ hard to find good help these days.

Add that to the recent couple of fiascos, in which Tiedoll managed to steal all of his underage harem-to-be and keep him from siring the mental ward into his own personal army/entertainment, and you get one pissed-off vampire boss.

"I swear if Tiedoll doesn't stop fucking with my fun, I'm gonna rip his spleen out through his asshole!" He threw his glass against the nearest wall and watched the blood ooze into the carpet.

"Bring me another, and make it a blonde this time!"

"Yes, Cross-sama," came the instant reply from the next room.

Along with the fresh glass of young blood came a messenger. The guy looked pretty new, extra flinch around him. He smirked.

"What is it, kid?"

"Sir, I'm reporting for the 11th squad, one of those sent to retrieve and or locate the exact whereabouts of the rogue vampire Kanda Yuu." He saluted and then bowed for good measure.

"And?"

"Yes, sir! The latest developments are that he has been found, but not detained, and another unit has been sent in as backup. The situation looks good for us, sir. He is alone, with a mere three humans with him."

"Three? I know he had the kid and his bitch with him, but who's the third?"

"Ah, according to the report, sir, his name is Lavi, a member of the local town, and he has no remarkable characteristics."

"Eh? Then why is he with Kanda?"

"Sir?"

"Tch. You moron, I am asking why Kanda wants this human with him if he is unremarkable. It doesn't fit his personality, see?" Cross brandishes his pointer finger at the new recruit, smirking at the resulting flinch.

"Ah…um…well, sir, perhaps he, uh…likes this human?" The man cowers slightly, expecting abuse for his lack of helpful answer, but Cross only contemplates.

"Likes him? A human? Huh. Well I guess it's possible. Kanda is the weak type, after all. Whatever." Then it hits him. The way to get Kanda to submit to him without the exertion of anymore of his power and time.

A chilling smile comes over his visage, fangs protruding and eyes sharply fixating on the other man.

"Hey," the poor messenger squeaks and straightens to receive his orders, "Change of plans."

0o0o0o0

_Where the hell is he?_

Kanda stomps up and down the stairs, stopping to check probable rooms as he goes. He realized he hadn't seen the idiot in nearly two days, and he was starting to worry—ah, that is—wonder about him. Allen and Lenalee were too busy packing and making arrangements to go chasing after their guest, but Kanda actually had nothing to do, thus the search.

The library looks empty at first glance, but he hears a rummaging in the corner just as Lavi pops up with a bright grin and comes running over to attempt to squeeze the life out of him.

"Kandaaa~! Where have you been? I haven't seen you in _ages_!"

"Che. You're the one who's been sulking in the library, book-freak."

"Aaah~ Is Kanda-sama jealous of his books?"

Kanda grimaces and fights the urge to clock the maniac. Although why he feels he should hold back, he doesn't quite know. But then Lavi's expression softens into something more coherent and he sees that veiled intelligence within that he hides so well, and Kanda forgets to mind it.

Lavi finally releases him from his tenacious hold to step back and look him over. He raises and eyebrow and quirks a sly smile.

"Yep, just as sexy as I remember."

Kanda rolls his eyes and curses the faint blush those words manage to bring.

"Shut up, dumbass. What are you doing in here?"

"Reading, as usual. But I'm up for a break if it's with you! I haven't been outside all day, you know. And it's such a nice night out," he gazes longingly out the moonlit window. "Oh!" he gasps, "We should go swimming!"

"What?"

"Swimming, Kanda, swimming! There's a nice lake near here that hardly anyone knows about and it's been an unseasonably warm week. Will you come with me?"

He opens his mouth to refuse, of course, but then Lavi puts on that stupid puppy face and Kanda grits his teeth.

"Fine." He enjoys a moonlit swim now and again anyway.

Rather than the ridiculous outburst Kanda has come to expect, Lavi just smiles an intimate smile and slips out of the room.

The walk to the lake is silent but comfortable. They walk close, knuckles brushing occasionally, a faint tilt to the lips Kanda's eyes can't help but flick to now and then. He smells like books and faint lavender soap, but mostly he smells like Lavi. The scent is steadily intoxicating to Kanda.

Moonlight glazes the water, a shimmering mirror on the landscape. They stop to divest each other of their clothing, eyes taking the other in with blatant lust. Lavi doesn't think they will get to do much swimming before their libidos force them to start something entirely different. He runs out into the water, splashing and laughing until it is deep enough to dive in. The water is cool and the air is warm, making an interesting contrast on his swiftly heating skin.

When he finally surfaces and looks for his partner, Kanda is no longer on the shore. He doesn't get the chance to find him before his ear is being molested from behind.

"Kanda!" he chuckles. "Bit eager, are we?"

"Shut up," he mutters.

Hands skim his chest and stomach, made delightfully softer by the water. Lavi freezes for an instant and almost sinks; Kanda is inhibiting his ability to tread water properly.

"Don't you wanna swim around for a bit?"

"I am swimming."

"That's true, but…aah…"

"Any other complaints? Or shall I continue on as planned?"

"Mm…please continue."

Lavi felt Kanda's smug smirk against his neck, but as soon as that needle-sharp tooth pricked his skin, he couldn't bring himself to care. It was only a small amount, just a taste really, but it was plenty to set the coals of his desire to dancing life once again. With his head tilted and his mouth open, Lavi let Kanda keep them both suspended above water and tried not to let too many embarrassing sounds escape him.

_It's always a thrill ride with this guy_, Lavi thinks, and loses himself to the thrill.

0o0o0o0

AN: I tried to incorporate a pr0n scene but it just would not work, so I gave up. This is _crazy _late and for that I AM SO SORRY, PLEASE FORGIVE ME, and it won't ever happen again! This chapter was really hard but I have no excuse and I'm soooo sorry, everyone who bothered to wait! Only about one or two chapters and an epilogue left before this is all done.


	7. Chapter 7

Lavi gazes out across the modest lawn of their newest temporary home. Their third one this month. He hears Allen and Lenalee finishing up the dishes in the cottage's small kitchen, accompanied by occasional splashing sounds and laughter. He smiles for them—their pure, innocent love—and can't wait to see the day that they marry. Thinking of the happy things, he decides, is important in times of strife.

It has been two days since Kanda left to scout. His companions tell him it's normal for Kanda to be gone that long, that he's done this many times before and he can more than handle himself alone, but Lavi has his doubts. He distracts himself by reading Kanda's second to latest journal—secretly borrowed from the collection, which has been shipped to their ultimate destination. This way he can keep a piece of his lover close at all times. He also practices diligently with his weapons. Becoming someone who can stand by Kanda Yuu is more important to Lavi than almost anything else he hopes to achieve.

Surprisingly enough, it has been getting easier by the day to improve. Allen refuses to spar with him anymore, complaining that Lavi can't deliver a punch without cracking one of Allen's ribs. They find it strange, but Lavi feels heartened. He is willing to believe the power of love is a force to be reckoned with. Maybe he can be good enough for Kanda after all.

"Lavi?" Allen's spiky white head pokes into the room, "Can you get some firewood? Lenalee wants help with the laundry again."

Flashing a knowing grin, Lavi nods and leaves the cottage, taking his time to scrounge up a decent pile of firewood from the fringe of the woods and to give the two lovebirds some time alone to flirt. It is when he has finally decided he can lolly-gag no longer that he smells Kanda.

There is blood and tension on the wind, and Lavi drops his bundle of split logs at the sight of him, bedraggled and limping. He runs to his side, slipping an arm around him and pulling Kanda's across his shoulders to help him inside.

"What happened, love?"

"Nothing. Just more of Cross' men a few miles East. We've got to move. Tomorrow night."

Lavi remains silent as he sits Kanda down at the dining table and attends to his wounds. He allows him to act as nurse, knowing he couldn't stop him if he wanted to, but he doesn't really mind that sort of thing anymore, having had this sort of thing become a little more routine than he'd like.

When Lavi finishes bandaging him up, he wordlessly offers his neck, which Kanda grudgingly accepts. Many things have changed over the past two weeks, and this is the one thing that boggles him the most. He has never been reluctant to take blood before, but when it's Lavi...

"Now," Lavi says when Kanda has finished, just like it's nothing. "Tell me what happened."

"Cross' goons ambushed me again, this time with twice as many as last," he explains, feeling the surge of strength rapidly healing every wound on his body. "He's getting closer."

"And we're running out of places to hide," Lavi mutters.

They exchange a look, a silent acknowledgment of the escalating danger of the situation. How long until Cross finds them? Weeks? Days? And what happens when he does?

Kanda wakes to find Lavi staring at him with the expression that has steadily become less strange to him. Lavi smiles and kisses him good morning, languid and sweet.

"Just wanted to do that before I went down for breakfast," he murmurs, and smiles serenely.

Shaking his head, Kanda dresses while he plans. This war against Cross has to end soon if he is ever going to get any peace. He's sick of running, sick of being hunted, and most of all, sick of his own fear. But he doesn't know how to fix this.

Lavi walks up from behind where he stands, contemplating the nightscape outside his window, and wraps his arms around him. His chin rests on Kanda's shoulder, and he would be mildly annoyed if he didn't feel very safe right then. Reassured.

"What's the plan, then?" Lavi murmurs.

"East and North."

"China?"

"A little further East."

Lavi gasps. "No. No way. _Japan_? Oh, Yuu, I knew you had to go back some time! I'll finally get to see your homeland!"

Kanda freezes mid-nod. Lavi feels his entire body tense and releases him in alarm. "What...?"

"_What_. Did you call me?"

Kanda turns to face Lavi, now just as frozen, and his face is a blank mask. Lavi is chilled by the sight of it.

"I—I..." Lavi panics, seeing the comprehension in Kanda's eyes, feeling the anger propagate in the room like so many maggots, eating away at the quiet warmth and love that has been growing between them for over two months. "No…Yuu, I—"

"Don't you _dare_," Kanda growls, "Call me that!" He takes a step towards Lavi, narrowing his eyes and clenching his fists. "Who told you? WHO TOLD YOU!?"

Lavi flinches from the volume of his shout. "No one! I—"

"What gives you the right!? What gives you the right to go snooping into someone's past without their permission!?"

Kanda feels a wave of rage drenching his mind, quelling the precious fires Lavi has kindled in him. He watches Lavi shake his head and sputter apologies, but he is deaf to all but the roar in his ears. "OUT! GET OUT!"

"Kanda, please! I just wanted—"

"_You_ wanted?" he hisses, cold and senseless, "I trusted you. And you took the one thing—" Kanda struggles with himself for one razor-thin moment, balancing on the edge of two decisions. He picks one. "Begone from my sight!"

"Yuu!" Lavi cries, face wet and fragile.

"You are nothing to me! You are no one! If I ever see you again…"

Lavi reaches out to Kanda, pleading, and Kanda draws Mugen without a second thought, lost in his fury, and aims to kill. The blade falls short of Lavi's neck by a hair's breadth, but only because Lavi dodges by instinct.

"OUT!"

Lavi jumps and flees, stopping to flick one last apologetic, miserable look back before he runs. He doesn't stop for his cloak or anything else, he just runs, into the trees, away from his life, and he doesn't look back, doesn't pause for a moment. He runs until he trips more often than he puts one foot after another, runs until he can't feel the pain in his lungs anymore. When he finally stops, it is because he can't get up, and he stays where he falls, aching and hollow.

His eyes unseeing, he stares at the dismal grey sky through the barren branches of skeletal branches and he hopes, wishes, prays for darkness to find him.

And darkness does.

0o0o0o0

All of his darkest secrets, everything he's worked to hide, to change, to forget, all of it laid bare to the one person he wishes would never have seen them. The tentative trust he'd let himself feel, the deepening bond he'd never had before, and the strongest reason for his decision to keep trying, keep fighting—gone. He can't forgive himself for being so stupid! His vulnerability, his weakness thrown out on display to the world. And there is nothing he can ever do to get it back.

How can he forgive the man who ripped away all that he had left?

Images of the past two months steal over Kanda in violent pulses of choking pain. Lavi, warm and smiling, dancing fingertips and smoky laughter. Mouth curling on a delighted gasp and green eye sparked with desire. Soft red hair fluttering across his chest; quiet tones and earnest words.

Allen pushes through the half-open door and gapes at Kanda, kneeling on the floor with glassy eyes and an empty expression.

"Kanda! What happened? Where's Lavi?"

"Kanda-san? What—oh my god!" She raises a shaking hand to her mouth. Allen takes her hand as his mind races.

Neither of them have any idea what to do. Kanda Yuu has never cried before.

0o0o0o0

The sharp pain breaks through the haze, but just barely. He registers dull agony everywhere, jagged in several places, most fiercely in his jaw, and the stench of fresh and dried blood. Colorless blurs resolve themselves into red carpet, black booted feet, and his own shredded body.

Lavi hangs by his wrists a foot above the floor, swaying gently with the soft creak of new rope. He blinks his eye until he can see details again, and raises his head--despite the flare of burning pain that causes--and looks into the face of his captor. He is a tall man with long red hair, a strange sort of ivory half-mask, and cruel black eyes. The man offers a sharp grin and growls out a greeting.

"Well well, if it isn't finally awake. How's it hangin'?" He erupts into raucous laughter that is echoed weakly by others in the room that Lavi doesn't have the energy or the mental acuity to try to recognize. When the man is finished laughing at his own hilarious joke, he stares Lavi in the face with nothing short of gleaming anticipation.

"I think you know my friend, Kanda. I've been looking for him for a very long time, you see, and—well—it's just so convenient that we've found you because," he leans in and clenches Lavi's throbbing jaw with talon-like fingers, "With you here, we won't even need to extend our little invitation in person. Now will we?"

Cross smiles, gaining near-physical pleasure from Lavi's evident dismay.

"No, you can't—" Lavi is cut off by a sudden coughing fit, complete with blood in his mouth and grunts of pain he can't smother.

"I can't…what? Can't use you as bait? Well why-ever not?" Cross steps to one of his servants, a woman, Lavi notes, and pulls an intricately carved knife from the scabbard she holds. The polished metal catches the light from the multiple torches lighting the spacious room. "Now this, my dear friend, is simply a matter of principle. You're someone precious to a man from whom I have suffered far too much disobedience. Therefore, I must punish you, by extension."

Lavi struggles to control his tremors as Cross nears him, and fails. He is already in so much hurt that it is taking all that he has not to cry out with each breath. His head, slowly dripping warmth down his neck, is light, and his vision is fuzzy. His breathing is shallow and uneven, hampered by at least two broken ribs. Lavi doesn't consider himself a doctor by any stretch of the imagination, but he has read enough to know that he is probably going to die if he doesn't get medical attention very soon.

"You can't…lure Yuu here…by using me…as bait," he wheezes.

"Oh? And why is that?" Cross traces the knife along Lavi's neck and collar bone and chuckles when Lavi's shaking increases.

"Because, you sick _fuck_, he doesn't want me anymore." He laughs with all the sanity of a thoroughly abandoned man. "He kicked me out. He won't come to save me. You're _fucked_." Lavi spits blood at Cross and smirks, despite the consequences he expects of that action.

At first, Cross seems unaffected. Then his smug mouth falls into a light scowl.

Without a word, Cross, and most of his entourage, exits the room in a flurry of inhuman agility and swirling cloaks. One remains, to guard the prisoner, and that is all Lavi can surmise before the relief of Cross' distance, and the renewed shock of his injuries, floods his system and shuts him down.

0o0o0o0

It is hours before Kanda speaks. When he does, it is simply to tell his companions that it's time to move. Now.

"WHAT!?" Allen and Lenalee shout.

"What do you mean we're leaving? What about La--?"

"Do not. Say that name. Ever again," Kanda hisses.

They are utterly flabbergasted, dying for answers, but with his fists clenched and his face closed, neither of his friends sees any benefit in arguing further.

"Well, you can go, but Allen and I are staying."

She glances at Allen, who nods, and they both stare resolutely until Kanda understands.

"Fine," he says, and turns on his heel and leaves.

He makes it onto the lawn before they are running after him, begging and yelling, but Kanda simply ignores them. Eventually, they turn back, Lenalee in tears and Allen flushed with anger, but Kanda doesn't care, won't allow himself to care, so he goes.

The forest is silent and cold, and that suits him just fine.

He is almost to the next town when they find him. A ring of black closes in around him, sharp, smirking smiles and faintly glowing irises. Kanda rests his hand over Mugen and waits. He is in no mood to play tonight.

One of them steps forward. "Kanda. We have the boy. Cross has been torturing him for hours already, so if you want him back before the corpse is beyond recognition, you'd better come with us."

A chorus of snickers echoes through the night.

In the next three seconds a third of the circle is decapitated. Kanda is working his way through the rest of the pie, but maybe he's not at the top of his game today, because one of them manages to knock his hand and send Mugen flying. His eyes follow the arc of silver light as it spins out and spears a tree with a prominent icrack/i. From behind he feels hands—too many—and he doesn't want to fight anymore. What's the point, anyway?

0o0o0o0

"Well, that was easy," Cross says to his victorious brigands, with a docile Kanda in custody, "Guess all it took was one stroke of good luck after all."

He approaches his prisoner, held supine on his knees before the Master Vampire. His hair covers his face, but Cross can tell from his stooped stance that he's not going to fight.

"I asked myself," he begins, "What does it take to establish complete dominance?" Slowly, fingers slip through dark blue locks, gently. "And the answer was simple. _Crush them_," a vicious twist and yank exposes Kanda's pale throat and carefully emotionless countenance. Try as he might, however, he cannot absolve the deep burn of loathing in his grey eyes. Cross smiles like the wicked priest with his burning witch.

"And so you have been crushed."

0o0o0o0

He doesn't understand. There's just something _off_.

Lavi had awoken numb, pain gone, grogginess and blurred vision gone. He feels sluggish, almost like his limbs are water-logged, but otherwise, he feels fine. Filthy and sore, but fine. Even his broken ribs seem to be healed. He's lying on a cold stone floor, unbound, and in complete darkness, but he's _alive_.

First thing he does, after getting over his physical state, is feel along the walls, building a map of his environs in his head, searching for faults and weaknesses. There are none. He's in a stone-lined hole in the ground: walls and floor, but no doors, windows, or ceiling, as far as he can tell. After he's listened carefully for a while, he shouts to gauge the distance by the echo, and changes his deduction to a cellar with a very high roof. He believes he is at the bottom of a well. And before the panic of when-will-I-run-out-of-air sets in, the creak and slice of dim light overhead alerts him to his captors throwing in another prisoner.

The figure is silent when it falls, though there is a sickening crunch: the tell-tale breaking of bone. The trapdoor above clangs shut and the light goes with it, but Lavi has already memorized the dimensions of the space. He debates moving to check on his new friend when he smells blood, and then…

"_Yuu_!"

He rushes over, pulling off the binds and working Kanda free, but as he removes the last rope he realizes something: he's not moving.

0o0o0o0

To Be Concluded…


	8. Chapter 8

Before Lavi can begin to panic, he remembers that vampires don't breathe unless they're talking. Even so, he can't help but feel like he should do something. He shakes Kanda gently at first, but when nothing happens, he shakes him harder. He calls his name and touches his face, once he finds it by feel. He hears himself start to hyperventilate but he's too busy feeling for gaping, bloody wounds to care. He finds a couple of wet, sticky spots and one of his arms is broken at the wrist, but there is nothing that explains Kanda's complete lack of response. Finally, Lavi lays him down on the floor and kneels beside him, working to reign in the terror.

"You can't help him if you're freaking out…" he whispers, but his fingers clench into the fabric of his pants.

He hears a soft groan and nearly cries with relief.

"Yuu! Are you all right?"

"…Lavi?"

"Yeah, it's me." He remembers their last moment together and loses the will to reach for him. Kanda probably wishes he was locked up with anyone else. "Sorry…"

"Lavi," he whispers.

"Yeah?"

Soft rustle of fabric and what sounds like a quiet sob, Kanda is clutching Lavi's hand with his good wrist and before Lavi can marvel at the strength he still has, he's being pulled into a tight hug. Frozen, he doesn't know what to do. Kanda has never hugged him before. Not like this.

"Yuu? Are you all right?" His voice is shaky with fear but he holds onto Kanda just the same.

"Lavi. I'm so sorry."

"Wha—? No, I'm the one who should be sayin' I'm sorry!" Lavi grips Kanda's shoulder, "I know you probably can't forgive me, but I just wanted to say that I'm so sorry I betrayed your trust. You mean so much to me and I fucked it all up, Yuu."

"It doesn't matter," Kanda declares. "I thought they'd killed you. Lavi."

"Nah, they just roughed me up a bit…I'm okay. But man, am I glad to see you," he adds with a hint of vulnerability. It seemed too good to be true, earning forgiveness after what he did.

"You reek of blood—don't tell me you're okay!" Kanda hisses. "Where are you hurt?"

"I'm really all right. A few hours ago I thought I was gonna die, but I woke up here and I was good as new again." Lavi takes a breath to calm himself. "They must've given me some kinda potion or something. Besides, you're the one who's hurt! Your wrist—"

"I'll be fine," he grunts as he slips the two halves of bone back into their proper places. Instantaneously, he feels the tissues begin to seal together again. Once it finishes healing, he reaches for Lavi, feeling over his body and searching for injuries, but there were none. Numerous holes perforate his clothing but his skin is whole. "How is this possible?"

"I don't know, but we should figure it out later. Right now, I really just wanna get the hell outta here, y'know?" Kanda hears him stand and can just make out his arm reaching for the wall. His fingers slide into a small crevice and he utters a triumphant sound. "Can you fight?" he asks and Kanda confirms that he can. "Then follow me. I memorized the way up."

0o0o0o0

Allen stops before the heavy black gate and glares at the pair of vampires standing on the other side of it. Lenalee pauses to his left and looks past the gate to the looming castle beyond. It had been easy to find, following a small pack of the clan back to the nest, since Cross was never one for subtlety. Stepping up the ornate bars, he gets the guard's attention and says, "We're here to see Cross."

Black-clad and statuesque, the vampire flicks a glance at Allen and Lenalee and scoffs. "I'm sure."

Frustrated but not surprised, "He knows me," Allen insists. "He sent me on my own mission into a nest a few years ago. Where I met a vampire named Kanda."

Stiffening at the name, the guard hisses. Within seconds, a group of vampires surrounds them, grips tight and claws puncturing. "Take them to Cross," one of them orders.

Shooting Lenalee a bracing look, Allen allows himself to be dragged into the castle, up the center stairs, and down a grand corridor ending in a large chamber. Inside, Cross stands beside an active fireplace and twirls a golden lock of the young woman kneeling before him. His smile widens when he notices them. It takes everything Allen has not to attack on sight.

"Little brat, how nice to see you again," Cross snickers. "And you've brought me a present! How considerate." He reaches for her cheek and Lenalee twitches at Cross' tainted touch. "A fine specimen."

"I want back in," Allen blurts. "I want to be your student again."

Focus shifting back to Allen, Cross approaches with casual steps. "'That so?"

"Yes."

"You sure this isn't just some hare-brained rescue attempt? Your master's locked in my dungeon and you're compelled to save him?"

"Kanda's not my master," Allen spits. "You are."

Despite himself, Cross' smile turns pleased. "Ah, my little rabbit finally wants to come home? What makes you think I'd want you? After all, you failed your last task, didn't you?"

"Give me another chance," Allen pleads, "I'll do anything."

"Is this the part where I tell you to kill Kanda and you miraculously free him instead?" Cross wags a finger at Allen's dismayed expression. "I'm a lot of things, kid, but stupid isn't one of them." Lazily sinking into a plush sofa, he gestures to his shivering companion to join him by the floor as he says, "Toss them into the same hole as the other two. I'll deal with them after my meal."

"Yes, master," the nearest vampire replies.

Down three flights of stairs, the air grows danker the further they are hauled. They come to a final corridor and a rotting iron-framed wooden door is unbarred and yanked open to reveal an expansive stone-lined room drenched in darkness. On their own, it could have taken Allen and Lenalee hours to find it.

One vampire precedes the others, carrying a torch a torch that dimly reveals most of the cavernous space, though the corners are still well shrouded in shadow. Near the center of the room lies a round trapdoor that is swiftly flung open by an impatient jailer.

As he is pulled toward the deep well, Allen peers in and realizes it is empty even as the vampire exclaims, "They're gone!"

On alert, the vampires are surprised nonetheless by the pair of disheveled escapees leaping in and disrupting their formation. Allen catches a glimpse of maroon hair as he dips to swipe the feet from under his clingy captor. Lenalee exhales a sharp puff of air as she delivers a cracking blow to an enemy sternum with the heel of her shoe, sending him skidding across the floor out of the radius of torchlight.

Growls, hisses, screams, and thuds play as background music while they fight. There are four of them and seven vampires but soon, they are victorious. Kanda comes into Allen's line of sight even as Lavi envelopes him into a tight, brief hug.

"Lavi! Are you guys okay?" Allen says as he returns the gesture.

"We're good," Lavi grins. "Thanks for the assist!"

"You two should have stayed home," Kanda rebukes, "It's too dangerous."

"We couldn't just sit at home when you two were in trouble!" Lenalee declares.

"That's exactly what you should have done. We can handle Cross," he counters.

"Can we escape now and argue about this later?" Lavi interjects.

"This way." Allen leads them back through the labyrinthine path to the best of his memory, but they still end up shy of the exit. Backtracking, they run into another cluster of the coven and waste precious time fighting them off.

At last, they come upon the main hall and Lavi huffs a premature sigh of relief when he sees the entrance.

"Wait," Kanda says and they stop.

"Come on, Yuu, the exit's right there!"

"No, Lavi. I will not run anymore," he proclaims. "Not from Cross' underlings and not from Cross. Not from any vampire ever again. I will fight. You three go now while you can."

"Don't be stupid, Kanda, you can't take on a whole coven by yourself," Allen insists.

"We won't leave you," Lenalee adds.

Lavi steps forward, a gentle, determined look on his bloodied face. Laying a hand on Kanda's shoulder, he says, "I understand your decision. But you're much dumber than I believed if you think any of us will let you face him alone. If we're doing this, we're going to do it together." He watches Kanda's face for the telltale hint of the swell of emotion his words cause. It's there.

"So be it," Kanda mutters, turning away from them.

With a knowing smile, Lavi nods to his friends and together they climb the steps to the final boss.

0o0o0o0

Gorged on a fresh blood meal, Cross is splayed out on his favorite sofa and smoking an immensely satisfying cigarette when the doors to his chambers crash open. His serenity shattered, he frowns as he stands to face the quartet of miscreants intruding on his property.

"Fuckin' worthless goons," he spits, vowing to dismember the rest of his coven and start anew somewhere a little more rugged. Russia, maybe. "What do you freaks want?"

"What do you think, you puzzlingly putrid pussing pimple?" Lavi creatively queries. "Your heart on a stake, your head on a slab, and your bones in the dirt, motherfucker!"

"Oh? Mouthy little prick, aren't you, vampire's slut?" Eyeing their bloody weapons, Cross discards his cigarette and draws his own sword. "Just for that, I'm gonna kill ya, nice 'n slow."

"You will never get the chance," Kanda promises. Gripping Mugen tight, he sidesteps away from his friends, hoping to draw Cross towards the center of the room. But Cross is smarter than that.

Faster than the human brats could see, Cross leaps and strikes at the green-haired female. A smirk crawls across his face in anticipation of an easy kill. It falls right off when Kanda's little whore jumps in and manages to guard her pale twig-neck. Snarling, his one green eye goes fierce and Cross is forced to block a series of slashes from the boy. Startled but refusing to show it, Cross parries the blows and returns some in exchange. By the time he knocks the redhead back, the two kittens have retreated and Kanda is behind him, aiming his silver fang of a sword at Cross' spine.

Laughing, Cross dodges attacks from both sides with ease. He relishes their dismay. Fast as a thought, Cross slides sword through air and parts Kanda's skin with its cold edge. The wound is shallow but long and Kanda claps an arm over the oozing slice as his lover shouts in fear. Taking the opening, Cross lunges at the distracted boy and punches him across the room to smack against a painting on the wall. He hears the impact break the frame as well as a rib or two as he blocks a sloppy, retaliatory slash from his primary adversary.

"You'll have to do better than that," he snickers as Kanda loses his balance and falls to one knee. Blood seeps from under his arm and Cross wonders if he might have cut deeper than he thought. It would be a shame if this ended too soon.

"Lavi?" Kanda calls without taking his eyes from Cross. A soft groan is his answer. That's when Cross realizes that the two brats are missing. Too late, he sees one of them on the other side of the room, aiming a crossbow at his chest. The blazing arrow is already aloft.

"Shit," he hisses as it embeds itself into his left lung, centimeters from his heart. The pain is immediate and intense but it doesn't distract him from Kanda's killing swing for his neck. Ripping the arrow from between his ribs, he flings it with full force at his ex-disciple and takes great pleasure in the wordless pain he shouts when it pins his right shoulder to the wall.

"Allen!" the girl screams and Cross catches her in the act of preparing to throw a broken coat rack, splintered end pointed at his back. He advances on her and rips the makeshift spear from her limp grasp and backhands her. She cries out as her head snaps to the side and she crumples to lie still on the scarlet Persian rug.

Kanda is there and he lands a hit to Cross' thigh. Cross allows this so that he can use his new weapon. Before Kanda can tug his sword free of his ropey leg muscles, Cross thrusts the spear straight at Kanda's unguarded gut. His enemy's eyes widen as he realizes he doesn't have time to dodge. Suddenly, another body is barring the spear's path and Cross' victory grin curdles.

0o0o0o0

"No!" Kanda bellows as Lavi falls to the ground, polished mahogany three inches thick protruding from his abdomen. In the moment of Cross' shock, Allen shoots an arrow into his neck, paralyzing him, and Kanda's sword swipes just under it, severing the monster's head from the stump of his fat neck. Astonishment freezes on Cross' face as his head rolls a jagged path across the polished stone and comes to a stop on his red rug. The body falls backwards with a dull thud a moment later, splattering blood in rays from the spout of its collar.

Ignoring the body, Kanda collapses to his knees where Lavi lies and gently works the wood from the flesh of his stomach. "Lavi," he calls, pulling off his coat to wrap around the wound. "Lavi, wake up." He hears Allen rousing a disoriented Lenalee and fights off a dangerous wave of sorrow. "Lavi!"

"Kanda," Allen murmurs. "Kanda, we have to go."

The urgency of Allen's tone is the only thing that manages to catch his attention. It is only then that he notices the heat. The castle is on fire, probably started from the torch they left lying in the dungeon. Dry, dusty, and full of ancient furniture, the entire structure is quickly being engulfed in ravenous flames. Spreading from the only corridor leading to this room, the flames reach a bookshelf and roar up the wall, shattering a high stained-glass window.

"Come on," Lenalee urges as she stoops to help carry Lavi. Kanda follows suit as Allen begins to climb another bookshelf up to the window furthest from the blaze. Gingerly, Kanda carries Lavi up and out the window, landing as softly as possible on the other side.

They hurry across the grounds, Allen and Lenalee fighting off what few vampires remain on the way. The town is less than a mile away but it seems like the longest journey Kanda has ever undertaken. They reach an inn and manage to quickly secure a room, despite their terrifying appearances. Rather than relief, Kanda feels a growing sense of doom as he lays Lavi onto the bed.

Looking him over, "This wound is mortal, yet he lives," Kanda breathes, mind racing. "In the well, he was covered in blood but he had no injuries."

Lenalee's face lights up with realization. "Kanda, could he…could he be turning?"

"How could he?" Allen speaks when Kanda remains silent. "If Cross had turned him, he would have reverted as soon as the bastard died. Otherwise, I would be turning now, since he threw that arrow back at me with so much of his blood on it."

Both humans ponder this. Then, "Cross didn't turn him," Kanda gasps. "I did."

"What do you mean? Not on purpose…?" Lenalee hesitates.

"No," he confirms. "The night I first fed from Lavi, he licked a drop of blood from my mouth. I thought it was his but I must have bitten my lip. It was _my_ blood." Dropping his face into his palms, "What have I done?" he cries.

"You saved his life!" Allen asserts.

"Don't be a fool! What kind of life is this?" Kanda demands. "A demon's existence. Fit for a murderer but not for him. _What have I done?_"

Aching to comfort but not daring to try, Lenalee directed her efforts to bandaging Lavi's wound instead. It isn't bleeding anymore but it isn't healing at vampire speed, either. "He needs blood," she whispers. At Kanda's confused look, "You said he had just healed from many injuries when you found him, right? He needs more blood to heal any more."

"Go. I'll see to it."

"You're hurt, too, Kanda, let me or Allen—"

"You don't know what a vampire's first feeding is like," he barks. "Just go."

His tone brooks no argument, so the two take their leave for now. When the door snicks shut behind them, Kanda leans over Lavi, brushing the fringe from his pale face. "Lavi." He gets no response but that doesn't matter.

He remembers explaining the process of becoming a vampire to Lavi. The victim had to ingest a sire's blood or be infected from the bloodstream, and the amount of blood transferred would determine the speed of the Change. For one little drop, it would take months. Gradually, the body would become stronger and faster, the senses sharper, and the heart slower. Sensitivity to sunlight and nocturnal tendencies would be of the last to develop. Finally, the heart would stop and the Hunger would begin.

Kanda can hear Lavi's heart still beating, pulsing only a few times a minute but there nonetheless. He would be the one to stop his heart for good. And save his life. He would strip Lavi's humanity from him and replace it with feral voracity.

For a moment, he considers letting Lavi die. Who was to say that he wouldn't want that anyway? Then he decides that he will force the Change and, if Lavi asks him to kill himself and free him from the Curse, Kanda will, without hesitation.

Bearing his fangs, Kanda bites into his own wrist and slots it over Lavi's parted lips. It drips steadily and Kanda makes a fist to keep it flowing. At first, there is no reaction but the slow trickle of Lavi's sluggish breathing. Quick as a flash of lightning, Lavi's eye flares open and his teeth bite down onto Kanda's arm.

He feels a rush of sensation coursing up and gasps at the intensity of it. Lavi is aware, he knows, because his emotions are pouring in along with everything else: relief, regret, love, sorrow, hope. It's too much to handle and Kanda sobs and clings tightly to Lavi. In his heart, a new flower blooms, and he feels real love for the first time in his long, long life. It is painful and overwhelming and beautiful. Breathtaking and heartbreaking.

"Lavi," Kanda gasps and the tears he feels sliding down his cheeks do not shame him.

0o0o0o0

Lavi stops feeding when he feels Kanda's flutter of growing weakness streak through his mind. He is ravenous and Kanda's blood is delicious, but he knows he must stop before he hurts him. His stomach itches as it heals. Blood vessels and nerves tickle as they become whole again. Ribs pop back into place and fuse along the broken seam like water flowing together around a rock.

The aftertaste is sweet and blood never felt so good on his tongue. Belatedly, he realizes that he no longer draws breath, his heart has stopped, and his mind buzzes with a crystalline clarity that organizes his thoughts like the unerring twist of an ancient vine. He takes a moment to assimilate all of the new information and opens his eye to meet Kanda's. He is silently weeping and Lavi understands.

"Yuu," he whispers as he wraps his arms around and pulls him close. "Thank you. I forgive you. I love you." Kanda's fingers clench tightly into his shirt and he buries his face in Lavi's neck. "Yuu."


	9. Epilogue

"Almost there," Lavi assures, rounding a corner of the path and climbing the last of the hill it spans.

"Better be," Kanda grumbles. "I thought you said this place was a short ways away."

"It is, for us," he grins, sharp fangs glinting in the moonlight.

It is true, they had only been traveling for half an hour, but they had been running and the distance would have taken a human hours to traverse. It's worth it, Lavi knows, to get Kanda up here despite his complaints.

When they reach the summit, Lavi stops to let Kanda take in the scene. To the left is a fenced-in field of moldering gravestones, each adorned with a stylized Celtic cross and a faded name. To their right is a hulking stone fortress, traditionally Irish in the style of the land. Dilapidated, there are holes in the walls, the spires are crumbling, and the drawbridge is rotting, but it is more than its appearance. Inside is the centuries-old library where Lavi found what they've been searching for.

"Come on," Lavi invites and leads the way.

They tentatively cross the treacherous drawbridge and pick their way through the debris in the dark corridors until they reach the musty collection of aged texts. The high windows are framed by tattered velvet curtains parted to allow the shine of stars. In the center of the room is a wide marble table, whereupon sits a thick black tome. Lavi gestures to the book, already open to the appropriate page, and Kanda shoots him a dubious look before approaching to read.

After a moment, he stiffens. "This…!" Glancing back at a smiling Lavi, Kanda is too astonished for speech.

"It's what we've been looking for," Lavi confirms. "We can find her, Yuu. We can kill her."

Kanda closes his eyes and clenches his fists. Ever since the night he witnessed his sister's murder, he has dreamt of this. Attaining the means to find and kill the vampire responsible for her death had been his only reason to live. Now he had Lavi, but his desire for vengeance burned on. With the information written in this book, he could not only track her down whenever he wanted, but he could weaken her before she even saw them coming. It was everything they dared hope to find and more.

"This is what you were doing yesterday?" he simply asks.

"Well, yeah," Lavi answers, confused. "What did you think? That I was stalking that bar wench because I said her form was vivacious?"

Growling, Kanda grabs Lavi by the shirt and brings their faces close together. "I'm sick of sharing you with them."

"It's not like I enjoy sharing _you_ with the humans, either, Yuu, but we both gotta eat, don't we?" Lavi fights a smirk. "Besides, it's not like we're screwing anyone but each other, so what's it matter?"

"It matters," Kanda hisses.

"Then, you know the solution, right?" Lavi purrs. "We kill the witch, become human, and then we never have to involve anyone in our lives ever again. Except Allen, Lenalee, Komui, Reever, Krory, Miranda, and anyone else we happen to make friends wi—" Lavi is cut off by his own yelp that turns into a moan when Kanda grips his upper arms and crushes his mouth in a wicked kiss. There was something to be said for Kanda's jealousy.

Lavi eagerly kisses back, provoking the searching tongue and instigating a brief but intense fight. Simultaneously, they begin to tug clothing out of the way. Without breaking contact, they strip each other in haste until there is no more hindering fabric between them. When they separate, Lavi shivers at the wild expression he has created.

Their mouths meet in a wet, forceful kiss as their hands grasp for firm holds. Lavi doesn't bother to hold back his sounds. Kanda presses their hips together and their twin groans echo through the dusty library. Soon sweat and moisture in the humid air ease the slide of smooth flesh and Kanda's expert rhythm.

"Like that, Yuu, just like that," Lavi avidly cheers, mouthing an earlobe.

Lavi twists his hips and Kanda's eyelids slide shut. In a fraction of a second, Lavi slams Kanda's shoulders to the chilled marble and gets a hiss for his trouble. Then Kanda doesn't care anymore because Lavi's hot mouth counters the cold slab nicely. Circling a nipple, Lavi nips and kisses his way down the trim abdomen and stops at his third favorite part of his lover. First and second being brain and eyes, of course.

As a painter and his masterpiece, Lavi deals out perfect strokes, painting the beautiful scene of Kanda's imminent release. With soft groans and whispered encouragement, Kanda approves of this endeavor. Before the project is complete, Lavi decides to go a different direction with his work. Agile tongue sliding home expertly, he caresses and teases open the stubborn little nub until he can fit a slick finger inside.

"Fuck, Lavi!" Kanda breathes when his button is pressed so gently.

"That's the idea," Lavi grins and devours him whole. His reward is the unabashed moan reverberating unrestrained from Kanda's mouth.

Before he is driven too far, Kanda digs demanding fingers into Lavi's soft red hair and pulls him up to growl against his lips, "Come on," and bites them. He allows a fang to puncture the soft tissue because he knows it will stoke the feral fires in Lavi's belly. He is not disappointed.

Lavi bares his teeth and pulls Kanda's head back to expose the tempting line of his throat. "You got it," he mutters.

"Ah!" Kanda gasps as Lavi pushes in. The trickle of blood patters onto the table near his ear and Kanda shudders against the nearly intolerable bliss of being drained and filled at the same time. Lavi deliberately spikes Kanda's blood with an extra-strength dose of the enzymes. Eyes rolling back and teeth aching, he finds a firm, delicious home for them in the hollow between Lavi's exposed collar bone and strong shoulder. His eyes flutter as the tingling elixir of their mutual lust swirls into his heart and out to his extremities. His appreciation rumbles through Lavi's flesh and tumbles down his spine.

When they pull apart, licking the blood from their lips, their eyes are glassy and their bodies radiate heat. Rocking to the imaginary beat of their dead hearts, Lavi drops filthy words and sweet, bloody kisses like warm rain over Kanda's skin. He drinks them in and decorates Lavi's back with thin, shallow lines of need. "More," he groans. Lavi complies, dipping his head to gently trace dangerous fangs over delicate skin as he redoubles the pace.

His veins burn with it and the deep look in Lavi's vivid green eye is enough to send him spiraling up and crashing down with a whole-body shudder and a choked shout of his name. Shattered, Kanda clings as Lavi moans a long, quiet, "Yuu…"

Their final kiss is as the sunrise: warm, hopeful, and full of strident light.

0o0o0o0

Shaking his head at Komui's usual ridiculousness, Allen squeezes Lenalee's hand to get her attention. He looks towards where Lavi and Kanda are returning from their little vacation.

"I wonder how Kanda took the news," Allen says.

"Well, if their disheveled appearances are any indication…" Reever lears.

"Don't say such lecherous things in front of Lenalee!" Komui demands, emphatically waving his arm in her direction.

"What? She's 19 now. It's not like she and Allen haven't—"

Allen interrupts by clearing his throat and loudly greeting their returning companions. "Welcome back! How was it?"

"Fun!" Lavi replies.

"And informative," Kanda soberly adds. "We know exactly where to go next."

"Great!" Lenalee smiles. "Where to?"

"Japan," Lavi answers.

"But you're not going," Kanda declares. "It's too—"

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Allen rolls his eyes. "It's too dangerous for us puny humans and you have to go by yourself because of some ingrained sense of honor or some such, right?" Kanda is humorously taken-aback. "Well, tough, okay? We're going."

"That's right," Lenalee agrees, with a firm nod for good measure.

"But Lenalee!" Komui cries.

"Oh, shut up, brother, you're coming, too," Lenalee huffs and Komui's eyes glaze with appreciative tears.

Laughing, Lavi says, "Well, that's settled, then. To Japan!"

Kanda sighs in defeat, but part of him is grateful. He won't have to do this alone. His _friends_ will always be beside him.

Lavi's smile is bright and loving and Kanda believes he will never get used to this feeling.

THE END


End file.
